Computerviruseshavetakenouthardenedindustrialcontrol.pdfVIP

C Y B E RS ECU R I T Y Computer viruses have taken out hardened industrial control systems. The electrical power grid may be next By David M. Nicol I N B R I E F Every facet of the modern electri- cal grid is controlled by comput- ers. It is our greatest example of physical infrastructure interlinked with electronics. The Stuxnet virus that infected Iran’s nuclear program showed just how vulnerable machines could be to a well-crafted electronic virus. The grid shares many of the vul- nerabilities that Stuxnet exposed; being larger, its vulnerabilities are, if anything, more numerous. Although a sophisticated attack could bring down a large chunk of the U.S. electrical grid, security is being ramped up. 70 Scientific American, July 2011 © 2011 Scientific American ast year word broke of a computer virus that had managed to slip into Iran’s highly secure nuclear en- richment facilities. Most viruses multiply without prejudice, but the Stuxnet virus had a specific target in its sights—one that is not connected to the Inter- net. Stuxnet was planted on a USB stick that was Lhanded to an unsuspecting technician, who plugged it into a computer at a secure facility. Once inside, the virus spread silently for months, searching for a computer that was connected to a prosaic piece of machinery: a programmable logic controller, a special-purpose collection of microelectron- ics that commonly controls the cogs of industry—valves, gears, motors and switches. When Stuxnet identified its prey, it slipped in, unnoticed, and seized control. The targeted controllers were a