 Shadowrun IRL: Stuxnet, Calling Echo Mirage... |
  |
 Sep 22 2010, 02:07 PM
Post
#1
|
|
|
Target  Group: Members Posts: 10 Joined: 14-June 10 Member No.: 18,702  |
And we're one step closer to February 8th 2029. I don't know if anyone else has read about this yet, but it damn near gave me the shivers when I saw it.
Stuxnet malware is a weapon Given the vagueness and secrecy surrounding the US Cyber Command I'm surprised they announced anything at all. |
 |
 
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 03:07 PM
Post
#2
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 993 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 313 |
It could be Skynet...
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 06:18 PM
Post
#3
|
|
|
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,095 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Wa, USA Member No.: 1,139 |
Nothing to see here, move along citizen!
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 06:32 PM
Post
#4
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 673 Joined: 9-May 08 Member No.: 15,965 |
I like the "available on the black market" part. How much for this Black Hammer, I wonder.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 07:21 PM
Post
#5
|
|
|
Target Group: Members Posts: 28 Joined: 27-August 10 Member No.: 18,977 |
QUOTE (Demonic357 @ Sep 22 2010, 09:07 AM)  And we're one step closer to February 8th 2029. I don't know if anyone else has read about this yet, but it damn near gave me the shivers when I saw it. Stuxnet malware is a weapon Given the vagueness and secrecy surrounding the US Cyber Command I'm surprised they announced anything at all. It sounds more like it was designed to destroy skynet's robot factories in space. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 08:08 PM
Post
#6
|
|
|
Old Man Jones Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,415 Joined: 26-February 02 From: New York Member No.: 1,699 |
The cynical bastard in me wonders if this isn't a bit of social engineering by the hackers at US Cybercommand.
If you wanted to delay someone from turning a device on, convince them it might blow up it they do. I have to imagine there are codemonkeys in Iran right now feverishly poring over millions of lines of code trying to determine if their nuclear plant is infected. -karma |
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 08:13 PM
Post
#7
|
|
|
Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
I'm sort of thinking this kind of thing wouldn't be USCYBCOM's purview.
Mossad, on the other hand... |
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 08:47 PM
Post
#8
|
|
|
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,095 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Wa, USA Member No.: 1,139 |
QUOTE (KarmaInferno @ Sep 22 2010, 09:08 PM) The cynical bastard in me wonders if this isn't a bit of social engineering by the hackers at US Cybercommand. If you wanted to delay someone from turning a device on, convince them it might blow up it they do. I have to imagine there are codemonkeys in Iran right now feverishly poring over millions of lines of code trying to determine if their nuclear plant is infected. -karma I'd have to recheck the security announcement but I'm pretty sure the only thing odd on this one was it was using 6 zero day exploits to infect (most use 1). It also only directly attacks a micro-controler made my Siemens. The zero days were just used as transport across windows systems. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 08:52 PM
Post
#9
|
|
|
Old Man Jones Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 4,415 Joined: 26-February 02 From: New York Member No.: 1,699 |
Sorry, I'll clarify.
By , "social engineering", I mean, "a lie". Even if you suspect it's a lie, you are operating a nuclear power plant. Would you want to take that risk? -karma |
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 08:53 PM
Post
#10
|
|
|
Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
QUOTE (KarmaInferno @ Sep 22 2010, 09:52 PM) Sorry, I'll clarify. By , "social engineering", I mean, "a lie". -karma No no, I know what you 're sayin'. Maybe it's me just being naive, but I don't see CYBCOM being capable of that kind of flim-flam. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 08:58 PM
Post
#11
|
|
|
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,095 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Wa, USA Member No.: 1,139 |
I'm still not sure where your going with that, Langner Communications I believe has credit for decrypting the intent of the malware I believe. They are a German company.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 09:04 PM
Post
#12
|
|
|
Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
QUOTE (tete @ Sep 22 2010, 09:58 PM) I'm still not sure where your going with that, Langner Communications I believe has credit for decrypting the intent of the malware I believe. They are a German company. So we have a worm that attacks German controllers, discovered by a German company... ...Who hates ze Germans so much? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) |
|
|
|
|
Sep 22 2010, 09:08 PM
Post
#13
|
|
|
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,095 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Wa, USA Member No.: 1,139 |
My guess would be Germans based on this http://www.itnews.com.au/News/232831,us-hu...ogle-fibre.aspx
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 23 2010, 12:22 AM
Post
#14
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 633 Joined: 16-March 05 From: 51° 16' North 7° 11' East Member No.: 7,168 |
Toying around with nuclear facilities is genially a poor idea. Fallout doesn't stop at your border. We Europeans do remember Chernobyl very vividly. - Damn, I couldn't play in the sandbox back then! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sarcastic.gif)
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 23 2010, 02:03 AM
Post
#15
|
|
|
panda! Group: Members Posts: 10,331 Joined: 8-March 02 From: north of central europe Member No.: 2,242 |
Whats next, fake radar signals to trigger crashes in the firmware of a SAM site?
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 23 2010, 05:21 AM
Post
#16
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 372 Joined: 2-March 10 Member No.: 18,227 |
QUOTE (Doc Chase @ Sep 22 2010, 05:04 PM) So we have a worm that attacks German controllers, discovered by a German company... ...Who hates ze Germans so much? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) The French. This is clearly a marketing move: don't buy German nukes, buy French! |
|
|
|
|
Sep 23 2010, 12:22 PM
Post
#17
|
|
|
Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,082 Joined: 3-October 09 From: Kohle, Stahl und Bier Member No.: 17,709 |
QUOTE (Doc Chase @ Sep 22 2010, 10:04 PM) ...Who hates ze Germans so much? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) Damn, I knew those Bavarians were up to something... @Nifft: We dont sell nukes. Just labratories, delivery and guidance systems and whatever else your average tin-pot dictator needs to build his on WMDs...and then protective equipment to the other side. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 23 2010, 12:36 PM
Post
#18
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 976 Joined: 16-September 04 From: Near my daughters, Lansdale PA Member No.: 6,668 |
I just read about it. Here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11388018 the BBc is speculating it was aimed at the Iranians and among the things it does is turn systems on an off. I do not like the Iranians but that seems like a pretty good way to maybe have a severe melt down. They also say it targets systems not usually attached to the net which also implies it goes after those secret facilities rather than just swarming the whole net.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 23 2010, 02:51 PM
Post
#19
|
|
|
Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
Judging by how it's spread around other secure systems in other countries, it makes an excellent tracking device for contractors doing what they shouldn't be.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 24 2010, 01:03 AM
Post
#20
|
|
|
Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,095 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Seattle Wa, USA Member No.: 1,139 |
QUOTE (Doc Chase @ Sep 23 2010, 02:51 PM) Judging by how it's spread around other secure systems in other countries, it makes an excellent tracking device for contractors doing what they shouldn't be. Well some secure systems are certainly secure from use. The main reason governments hire contractors is to circumnavigate their own regulations... |
|
|
|
|
Sep 24 2010, 01:48 AM
Post
#21
|
|
|
Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,179 Joined: 10-June 10 From: St. Louis, UCAS/CAS Border Member No.: 18,688 |
QUOTE (tete @ Sep 24 2010, 02:03 AM) Well some secure systems are certainly secure from use. The main reason governments hire contractors is to circumnavigate their own regulations... Sure, but they've been tracking this thing from a USB key a contractor's been using while going from place to place. Give each iteration of the virus a specific signature, and you can track where he's been and what he's been working on. One quick |
|
|
|
|
Sep 24 2010, 02:13 AM
Post
#22
|
|
|
Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 935 Joined: 2-September 10 Member No.: 19,000 |
Welp this is fucking terrifying.
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 24 2010, 01:09 PM
Post
#23
|
|
|
Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,546 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
The original article seems to be missing some details which perhaps downplayed the pants-wetting fear for me. A lot of the 'new technologies' seem not so new to me. Certainly the idea of using viruses to attack SCADA systems is not a new idea (and oftentimes SCADA systems have unusual requirements which prevent them from being properly secured - for instance a piece of software which runs only on Windows 98). The directed attack is new, but not novel. Spear-phishing already does this. The impressive part is that a government actually got the resources together to take advantage of an emerging technology like this (which makes me suspect this isn't the US government).
We will see in this in the future. Fortunately, it has been predicted, and at least SOME people have been paying attention, so the process of defense is already started. (The part that would make me really impressed in this case would be if the virus exploited a vulnerability that the owners of the software were not aware of. At that point we're getting a bit more pants-wetting.) |
|
|
|
|
Sep 24 2010, 06:14 PM
Post
#24
|
|
|
Great Dragon Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 5,082 Joined: 3-October 09 From: Kohle, Stahl und Bier Member No.: 17,709 |
QUOTE (nezumi @ Sep 24 2010, 01:09 PM) The impressive part is that a government actually got the resources together to take advantage of an emerging technology like this (which makes me suspect this isn't the US government). Bear in mind that both the origin and the target of this malware are highly speculative. Off the top of my head, blackmail would be another explaination - pay us, or the next version won't have an expiry date. The targeted company of course did not make it public (because shareholders and authorities would panic), and at some point a company representative inadvertedly took it with him on a business trip. QUOTE (The part that would make me really impressed in this case would be if the virus exploited a vulnerability that the owners of the software were not aware of. At that point we're getting a bit more pants-wetting.) Uhm, that's more or less the definition of a zero-day exploit: A vulnerability the software's manufacturer only becomes aware of when analyzing an already existing attack (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) And on a semi-related note: The unexiting truth behind many claims about "cyberwar". As a German commentator wrote, it's like a twelve year old claiming he was mauled by a gang of Mafia hitmen, because he doesn't want to admit the little girl next door gave him that black eye. |
|
|
|
|
Sep 24 2010, 07:24 PM
Post
#25
|
|
|
Incertum est quo loco te mors expectet; Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 6,546 Joined: 24-October 03 From: DeeCee, U.S. Member No.: 5,760 |
I know what a zero-day exploit is, and that isn't so unusual. The fact that it's still a concern so long AFTER day 0 which would make it surprising.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 26th April 2024 - 08:19 PM |
Topps, Inc has sole ownership of the names, logo, artwork, marks, photographs, sounds, audio, video and/or any proprietary material used in connection with the game Shadowrun. Topps, Inc has granted permission to the Dumpshock Forums to use such names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any proprietary materials for promotional and informational purposes on its website but does not endorse, and is not affiliated with the Dumpshock Forums in any official capacity whatsoever.