US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack

Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by COGlory on Sunday May 09, 2021 @11:08PM (#27102295)

You could have an air-gapped system and still have remote access. Just not external access. I don't think it's unreasonable to have a couple of people in a control booth monitoring a computer that regulates the pipeline 24/7. The recommendation is, however, that we should not have that monitoring computer connected to any other network besides the internal one. If you're running pipeline, surely you can run some data cables with it?

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by sdenton4 on Sunday May 09, 2021 @11:56PM (#27102531)

This basically describes the Iranian nuclear system that was hit by stuxnet, which, as I recall, was spread via USB drive.

The airgap certainly reduces the chances of getting hit with a joe-random ransomware attack, though. Defense in depth...

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by acdha on Monday May 10, 2021 @12:10AM (#27102602)

Yes - and consider how many people have the resources needed to run Stuxnet versus ordinary ransomware. That seems like a pretty clear win if you can shrink the pool of likely attackers down to “top-tier nation-state”.

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by takeda on Monday May 10, 2021 @12:19AM (#27102641)

Let's not let perfect be enemy of good, especially since we can't never be perfect.

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by kova12 on Monday May 10, 2021 @12:18AM (#27102631)

Stuxnet was built by a very well funded organization and was not targeting monetary gains. Getting ransomware spreading via USB drive is insanely expensive and complicated. You won't make money on it, whatever they are extorting will not cover development expenses

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by teclordphrack2 on Monday May 10, 2021 @12:43AM (#27102781)

"and was not targeting monetary gains"

But in the end was it really though?

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by kchoudhu on Monday May 10, 2021 @12:22AM (#27102660)

This is what the financial industry does. There's a secured "extranet" that everyone runs FIX on top of. For the most part, it works.

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by kevin_thibedeau on Monday May 10, 2021 @01:22AM (#27102978)

There's an entire parallel internet for the DoD and it's contractors. It's not like there isn't precedent that critical industries can emulate if they ever became concerned about the common good.

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by kingsuper20 on Monday May 10, 2021 @10:15AM (#27106177)

That's interesting. Is it physically separate? I would assume so but don't know.

I'd love to read an article on it. Maybe there are others that are geographically dispersed.

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by 6nf on Monday May 10, 2021 @12:55AM (#27102838)

> You could have an air-gapped system and still have remote access

You're suggesting the gas company run their own network, and then you assume no employee will connect that network to the general internet for their own convenience? Not happening.

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by hosteur on Monday May 10, 2021 @01:45AM (#27103089)

That would be a fireable offense. Even criminal.

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Re:US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack by 6nf on Monday May 10, 2021 @02:29AM (#27103290)

Again, stuff like that just don't happen. It's too inconvenient. How many major utility companies run such airgapped networks?

https://gca.isa.org/blog/common-ics-cybersecurity-myth-1-the...

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