The pipeline hack

[MightyGiants]

I know the pipeline is finally back on line after being hacked, but I am really troubled by what happened.  For the life of me, I can't understand how such a critical piece of our nation's infrastructure was on the same computer network as people's emails.   In my opinion critical infrastructure should exist on separate networks with only limited and highly controlled access to the internet. 

[MightyGiants]

An update on this

The pipeline company paid the hackers a $5 million dollar ransom.


https://finance.yahoo.com/news/colonial-pipeline-paid-hackers-nearly-141548661.html


I sure that will discourage future attacks

[NapoleonBlownapart]

sadly this is where the future is headed.

held hostage in an automated world.  sigh

I read a report a few years back when I was working on the IBM/ATT automated car sensor satellite systems that by 2050 Robots will be working more than humans, and humans will not even be needed to repair the Robots.  Repair Robots will fix the worker Robots.

[FL GMAN]

Imagine what our enemies could do to cripple us if hackers can cause this much damage, scary indeed.

[MightyGiants]

Imagine what our enemies could do to cripple us if hackers can cause this much damage, scary indeed.

What depresses me is that for at least the past decade the government has made a point of working with private industry to cyber-harden critical infrastructure.   Yet this pipeline was so badly run that all it took was one employee clicking on an email attachment to take down a critical fuel pipeline.

[MightyGiants]

Here is a kick in the pants.  I have been reading articles that indicate the pipeline itself wasn't hacked (You could see my confusion on how such a critical piece of infrastructure was so easily hacked).  Rather it was the billing system that was compromised.   The pipeline company shut down its supply of gasoline to those states and caused all that havoc because they were afraid they wouldn't have been able to properly bill.   Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't seem right or proper

[Bob In PA]

Here is a kick in the pants.  I have been reading articles that indicate the pipeline itself wasn't hacked (You could see my confusion on how such a critical piece of infrastructure was so easily hacked).  Rather it was the billing system that was compromised.   The pipeline company shut down its supply of gasoline to those states and caused all that havoc because they were afraid they wouldn't have been able to properly bill.   Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't seem right or proper

Rich: Still don't know enough to post a detailed comment. Clearly, pipelines should never be in communication with the Internet (but as we now know, that isn't what happened). 

It appears they need a still more secure system to tell the billing computers how much product was used by each customer.  Query: why does that info have to be input automatically? 

Maybe they should pony up some bucks and hire people to enter usage data into the billing PC's manually (the billing computers would be "outgoing only" -  to send bills to customers over the Internet.... I think LOL). 

Bob

[MightyGiants]

Rich: Still don't know enough to post a detailed comment. Clearly, pipelines should never be in communication with the Internet (but as we now know, that isn't what happened). 

It appears they need a still more secure system to tell the billing computers how much product was used by each customer.  Query: why does that info have to be input automatically? 

Maybe they should pony up some bucks and hire people to enter usage data into the billing PC's manually (the billing computers would be "outgoing only" -  to send bills to customers over the Internet.... I think LOL). 

Bob

As I understand it the system that controls the pipeline was protected and wasn't hacked.   There are ways for the pipeline to use the internet without exposing it to hackers.    I have no doubt this was part of the long-term effort to harden critical infrastructure.

What appears to have happened is the companies corporate network was hacked and the billing system is on the corporate network.  So when that got hacked, the company took down their pipeline until their billing system was back up and running.

I appears the company didn't view the billing system as critical infrastructure until it was hacked, then it decided it was.

[Bob In PA]

As I understand it the system that controls the pipeline was protected and wasn't hacked.   There are ways for the pipeline to use the internet without exposing it to hackers.    I have no doubt this was part of the long-term effort to harden critical infrastructure.

What appears to have happened is the companies corporate network was hacked and the billing system is on the corporate network.  So when that got hacked, the company took down their pipeline until their billing system was back up and running.

I appears the company didn't view the billing system as critical infrastructure until it was hacked, then it decided it was.

Rich: I do NOT "smell a rat" but I do like to consider all possibilities.

Do you see any possible connection between shutting down the pipeline (which was arguably unnecessary and almost definitely done with undue haste) and the Presidential order closing the other (new) pipeline?

They're not the same company, but I suppose it could be viewed as some sort of "protest" to cause a headache for the administration.  To be clear, I have NEVER heard anyone raise this issue, but it occurred to me.

Bob

[MightyGiants]

Rich: I do NOT "smell a rat" but I do like to consider all possibilities.

Do you see any possible connection between shutting down the pipeline (which was arguably unnecessary and almost definitely done with undue haste) and the Presidential order closing the other (new) pipeline?

They're not the same company, but I suppose it could be viewed as some sort of "protest" to cause a headache for the administration.  To be clear, I have NEVER heard anyone raise this issue, but it occurred to me.

Bob

Bob,

I see no reason not to think this is just the sort of thing that happens in big corporations where roles and responsibilities are so segmented.   I am sure the operations people and the IT people worked together for years to cyber-harden things but they simply never thought to include accounting

[Bob In PA]

Bob,

I see no reason not to think this is just the sort of thing that happens in big corporations where roles and responsibilities are so segmented.   I am sure the operations people and the IT people worked together for years to cyber-harden things but they simply never thought to include accounting

Yeah, the simplest explanation is usually correct, and I agree with your analysis.  Bob