critical infrastructure

Pierluigi Paganini August 22, 2014
Hacking traffic light systems, it’s so easy

A new study conducted by security researchers at the University of Michigan demonstrated that it is easy to hack traffic light systems. Hacking Traffic lights is a serious menace for the population, many individuals believe that it is possible only in the movies, but unfortunately is a scaring reality. In May I anticipated you an interesting […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 20, 2014
Nuclear Regulatory Commission hit by foreign hackers

Nuclear Regulatory Commission systems were hacked three times in the last three years. According to investigators the bad actors are foreign hackers. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has been hit by cyber attacks three times during the past three years, bad actors behind the offensives have conducted spear phishing attacks to compromise the internal network […]

Pierluigi Paganini August 01, 2014
Hackers can exploit USB devices to trigger undetectable attacks

A popular security researcher revealed that bad actors can tap into USB Devices to conduct attacks non detectable with known security defenses. Security experts demonstrated that USB devices can be used to compromise personal computers in a potential new type of attacks that evade all actual security protections. Karsten Nohl, chief scientist with Berlin’s SR Labs, discovered that […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 07, 2014
North Korea doubles units of its cyber army

North Korea has doubled the number of its elite cyber warriors over the past two years and established overseas bases to run hacking attacks. The majority of people ignores that all over the world, many silent conflicts happen, the cyberspace is considered for this reason the fifth element of warfare. Unfortunately the effects of these […]

Pierluigi Paganini July 02, 2014
Dragonfly gang is targeting Western energy industry

Security experts at Symantec have detected a new series of attacks worldwide conducted by the Dragonfly gang on SCADA/ICS in critical infrastructure. The energy industry is under attack, more than one thousand companies in Europe and North America are constantly under attack. ICS/SCADA systems are privileged targets of state-sponsored hackers and cyber criminals, last week I wrote […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 25, 2014
Cyber espionage campaign based on Havex RAT hit ICS/SCADA systems

Security Experts at F-Secure discovered a cyber espionage campaign based in the Havex malware targeting ICS/SCADA systems and vendors. Security Experts at F-Secure have conducted an investigation on the Havex Malware family in the past months, let’s remember that the malicious agent has been used in several targeted attacks against different industry sectors, and according […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 23, 2014
Impact of Windows XP End of life on Critical Infrastructure

Which is the impact of the Windows XP End of Life on the critical infrastructure? Which are the risks and the mitigation strategies that could be adopted? This week I had the pleasure and the honor to participate as a speaker for a seminar at Rome Security Summit 2014, the theme of the event was “Impact […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 10, 2014
ICS-CERT warns of possible hack of road signs controlled by Daktronics Vanguard software

ICS-CERT issued an alert for the presence of a hardcoded password flaw in Daktronics Vanguard highway dynamic message sign (DMS) configuration software. Security experts have discovered a new flaw in Daktronics’ Vanguard software which could be remotely exploited by hackers to hack electronic road signs. A week ago, it was reported that Daktronics’ Vanguard dynamic highway message sign (DMS) configuration […]

Pierluigi Paganini June 09, 2014
ICS-CERT warns on the rise in attacks on online ICS

A reading of the data issued by the ISC-CERT in its Monthly Monitor (ICS-MM201404) on the attacks against ICS (industrial control systems) exposed on line. Do you have exposed your Industrial control system (ICS) on the Internet? “If ICS is connected to the Internet, it comes with an almost 100% guarantee of its being hacked on […]

Pierluigi Paganini May 26, 2014
Critical Infrastructure, hackers targeted public utility SCADA

Cyber attacks could pose a potentially huge risk to US critical infrastructure, state-sponsored hackers and cyber criminals are increasing their activity. Governments are even more alarmed by the possibility of cyber attacks against critical infrastructure, hackers could pose a potentially huge risk to the helpless population. In a recent US Government exercise, a team of hackers […]