New report suggests ‘civilian nuclear facilities’ are in danger of hacks

NUCLEAR facilities across the world, including Australia’s lone nuclear reactor are all in danger of devastating hacks.

WE SHOULDN’T be as worried about terrorists gaining access to nuclear weapons as we should about them hacking into our nuclear facilities a new report suggests.

Researchers from Chatham House, a British think-tank believes that civilian nuclear infrastructures worldwide such as a nuclear power plant have gaping holes in their cyber security that hackers could gain access to.

While Australia has no nuclear power plants, we do have a nuclear research reactors that could be susceptible to attack, located in Lucas Heights, around 30kms south of Sydney.

“Recent high-profile cyber attacks, including the deployment of the sophisticated 2010 Stuxnet worm, have raised new concerns about the cyber security vulnerabilities of nuclear facilities,” the report says. “As cyber criminals, states, and terrorist groups increase their online activities, the fear of a serious cyber attack is ever present.”

“This is of particular concern because of the risk — even if remote — of a release of ionising radiation as a result of such an attack,” the summary continues. “Moreover, even a small-scale cyber security incident at a nuclear facility would be likely to have a disproportionate effect on public opinion and the future of the civil nuclear industry.”

The report also highlights the fact that most facilities are using off-the-shelf security software instead of building their own due to costs. This becomes a danger if the security

“Hacking is becoming ever easier to conduct, and more widespread: automatic cyber attack packages targeted at known and discovered vulnerabilities are widely available for purchase,” the Chatham researchers write.