Stuxnet Clone Found, Possibly Preparing For Power Plant Attacks

ANI via Yahoo News ^ | 19 Oct 2011 | ANI

[edpc]

Washington, Oct.19 (ANI): Security researchers have detected a new Trojan, scarily similar to the infamous Stuxnet worm, which could disrupt computers controlling power plants, oil refineries and other critical infrastructure networks.

The Trojan, dubbed "Duqu" by the security firm Symantec, appears, based on its code, to have been written by the same authors as the Stuxnet worm, which last July was used to cripple an Iranian nuclear-fuel processing plant, Fox News reports.

[edpc]

Stuxnet II: Electric Duqu-loo

[TSgt]

LOL!

All your Iranian centrifuges are belong to Mossad.

[agere_contra]

I hazard a guess that while ‘Count Duqu’ collects info on all SCADA, it only actually attacks if it thinks it’s in a power-station in Iran.

[elli1]

Neither link is working for me.

[elli1]

Now the link is working. Musta' been a puter hiccup.

[MichaelP]

Here in Michigan, there has been a series of extraordinary power failures. There has been partial substation failures and outages that have affected large building like schools, retail stores and the like. Typically, these building lose partial power, affecting electronics, lighting, etc. What could cause such an outbreak over such a wide area (SE Michigan). Could it be tied to the Electrical distribution Networks computers? I know someone here knows how Electrical utilities work.

Mike

[FroggyTheGremlim]

One day the homogeneity caused by the Microsoft Windows monopoly will have grave consequences: economic, social and financial.

Like the Dutch tulip market crash, the Irish potato blight, the cotton boll crash, etc., economic systems based on and solely dependent on a single commodity eventually crash with devastating results.

[ShadowAce]

[Solson]

No building loses partial power unless it’s a problem within the walls of the school. When power fails at a substation, all power provided by that substation is affected. Only if a building has a generator could it have “partial” power.

[Dubh_Ghlase]

Yup, pull the plug on electric or water or drop the internet and watch the crash.

My wife has a business that used to be strictly stand-alone. Now it is highly electrified and internet-connected. Take the power or lose connectivity and business stops! Not a fun prospect at all...

[upchuck]

Link to the Fox News article which has more info.

[ASA Vet]

What could cause such an outbreak over such a wide area (SE Michigan).

Theft of copper comes to mind. It is Detroit.

[FreedomPoster]

>>No building loses partial power unless it’s a problem within the walls of the school.

That is not true. Most schools and commercial/institutional buildings have 3-phase power. It is possible for the utility feed to drop one phase. This will typically cause properly protected 3-phase motors to drop out (kills A/C, fans, etc.), and 1/3 of the lights and power receptacles. That leaves you with 2/3rd of the lights and receptacles, so a lot of things are still operational.

[MichaelP]

That is what has been happening...

Mike

[OneLoyalAmerican]

Greetings eCSMaster:

My employer’s generating facility is not a MSOS; seriously doubt many are. That aside, Stuxnet is a concern.

Cheers,
OLA

[rarestia]

Homogeneity? You would be hard-pressed to find a Microsoft OS on any controlling system in a power plant. Most high-availability (HA) sites like power plants utilize hardened Linux kernels with very specific instruction libraries for only the programs being used on those systems.

And as a note, Windows is not solely the issue with IT security. MS plugged a lot of holes (and ruffled a lot of feathers) with their new OS kernel by prohibiting direct access without user approval (UAC and DEP, for instance). The issues come into play when users errantly click on approve in this dialog box without knowing what the program is going to do.

It is not the prettiest way to do things, but for what it does, the Windows OS is highly functional if not bloated.

[pabianice]

Whomever wrote this is incompetent. No where in the article does it say WHERE the virus was found or WHERE it might be used.

[EEGator]

A Breakin’ 2 reference at 0630...nice!

[edpc]

What can I say? My head is loaded with useless information.