Warcodes: Attacking ICS through industrial barcode scanners
Several days ago I came across an interesting entry in the curious ‘ICS Future News’ blog run by Patrick Coyle. Before anyone becomes alarmed, the description of this blog is crystal clear about its contents: “News about control system security incidents that you might see in the not too distant future. Any similarity to real people, places or things is purely imaginary.” IOActive provides research-fueled security services, so when we analyze cutting-edge technologies the goal is to stay one step ahead of malicious actors…
SCADA and Mobile Security in the IoT Era
Two years ago, we assessed 20 mobile applications that worked with ICS software and hardware. At that time, mobile technologies were widespread, but Internet of Things (IoT) mania was only starting. Our research concluded the combination of SCADA systems and mobile applications had the potential to be a very dangerous and vulnerable cocktail. In the introduction of our paper, we stated “convenience often wins over security. Nowadays, you can monitor (or even control!) your ICS from a brand-new Android [device].” Today, no one is surprised at the appearance of an…
Hacking Wireless Ghosts Vulnerable For Years
Is the risk associated to a Remote Code Execution vulnerability in an industrial plant the same when it affects the human life? When calculating risk, certain variables and metrics are combined into equations that are rendered as static numbers, so that risk remediation efforts can be prioritized. But such calculations sometimes ignore the environmental metrics and rely exclusively on exploitability and impact. The practice of scoring vulnerabilities without auditing the potential for collateral damage could underestimate a cyber attack that affects human safety in an industrial plant and leads to…