IT systems of energy industry and housing and public utilities under the threat

The U.S. Government warned managing directors of the companies of a power, oil and gas complex and also housing sector about existence of a serious hole in the software of scheduling and data collection (SCADA).

The message about vulnerability as a result of stack overflow published in the programs of supervisory control and data collection (SCADA) of Genesis32 and BizViz sold to ICONICS division of Department of national security of ICS-CERT yesterday (Industrial Control Systems Cyber ​​ Emergency Response Team). ICONICS released a patch for closing of holes which will allow the malefactor to execute far off the code and to receive control over the computer.

Meanwhile, there was public use of vulnerability of targeting, the consultant noted. To be successful, the malefactor needs to use social technologies to allure users with set control of ActiveX "GenVersion.dll" (dynamic link library) for visit of the web page supporting harmful JavaScript.

Dynamic link libraries are the WebHMI components (human-computer interface) used in ICONICS software, the consultant who quotes the report of Security-Assessment.com research firm told. "Accomplishment of this exploit requires mediocre experience", - he warned.

The ICONICS company reports that 55% of the set software of Genesis32 work in the USA, 45% - in Europe, and 5% in Asia. Consultations followed less than in two months after ISC-CERT and other researchers warned about several holes in the different software of SCADA.

Security issues of the software of monitoring and control of the crucial infrastructure systems rise even more often as these are integrated into systems web technologies, providing data transmission channels in the networks isolated earlier.

"What level is acceptable and admissible for security of industrial management systems? We do not know, - Mike Ahmadi, one of founders of consulting company GraniteKey told. - Systems were isolated from the outside world... This very serious conversion which we endure now".

Though the number of error messages in SCADA increases, to this day is not clear whether some vulnerability was used during cyber attacks to the operating plants or systems.

Nevertheless, last year from Stuxnet the threat became a reality. Difficult and versatile attack on special program providing Siemens, used in transactions of industrial department as experts consider, probably, was directed to nuclear objects in Iran.