"...Among other things, the committee reported that operational networks controlling critical portions of the grid were accessible through electric companies' corporate LANs; "
http://www.securityfocus.com/news/3871 SCADA systems are usually run on Win2k. We all know what most people run on their corporate LANs. Hrmm... John Hebert wrote: >Aha! This is the kind of information I'm asking about. > >Again, I think that there are no major plants out there that run mission >critical systems on M$. But as the article Shannon quotes proves, the line >between mission critical and user support networks is getting thin and could >exacerbate system failures. > >In my opinion, we have take back desktop computing from the paradigm that M$ >has punished us with. No more RESET buttons! > >John Hebert > >-----Original Message----- >From: Shannon Roddy >To: [email protected] >Sent: 9/13/03 11:08 AM >Subject: Re: [brlug-general] M$ did cause the blackout. > >from >http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/story.asp?id=1B8ACE7F-C1ED- >4D8D-857E-20443CEE8476 > >The Blaster worm that flummoxed an estimated half-million computers >around the world last month and crippled Air Canada's computer systems >might have worsened utilities' problems during the August blackout, said > >Joe Weiss, a utility control system expert. > >"It didn't cause what happened, but it could've exacerbated what >happened," said Weiss, with Kema Consulting in Cupertino, Calif. > >The blackout followed the Aug. 11 Blaster outbreak by just three days. > >The Ohio utility that is the chief focus of the blackout investigation, >FirstEnergy Corp., is investigating whether the Blaster worm might have >caused computer trouble said to have hampered its response to multiple >power line failures. > >"We haven't detected a worm or a virus, but we're not ruling anything >out," said FirstEnergy spokesman Ralph DiNicola. > >In January, the Slammer Internet worm took down monitoring computers at >FirstEnergy's idled Davis-Besse nuclear plant. A subsequent report by >the North American Electric Reliability Council said the infection >blocked commands that operated other power utilities, although it caused > >no power failures. > > > > > >Shannon Roddy wrote: > > > >>Dustin Puryear wrote: >> >> >> >>>I'm completely lost at this point. Your mind is made up about what? >>>Microsoft? The name isn't even mentioned. Please do tell! >>> >>> >> >>My mind is made up that Microsoft and Blaster contributed to the >>blackout. However, even if this fact is found, I do not think that it >> >> > > > >>will ever be released publicly. It opens up too big a can of worms >>politicly and also civil liability for the power companies and the >>contractors (not to mention MS). >>So, my mind is made up that Microsoft may not be the cause for the >>problems that happened, but Microsoft IS at fault for the operators to >> >> > > > >>not be able to compensate for a series of events that happened. Think >> >> > > > >>about it, these sorts of fluctuations, problems, etc. happen quite >>often. But they never take down the grid. Until the operators >>machine starts rebooting every 10 minutes for instance. >> >>Say what you want, but Microsoft does not belong ANYWHERE near ANY >>kind of industrial/electrical/refinery/military/banking, etc >>computer. Call me a OS biggot or whatever, but it is the damn truth. >> >> > > > >>MS should NEVER be put anywhere where failure is not an option. And I >> >> > > > >>don't just mean replace it with Linux. Nearly any *nix, mac, vxWorks, >> >> > > > >>whatever is a much better solution for these sorts of systems. >> >> >> >>>At 10:11 AM 9/13/2003 -0500, you wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>>>Not conclusive, but my mind is already made up: >>>> >>>>http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030913_80.html >>>> >>>>"Hoff Stauffer, a power transmission expert at Cambridge Energy >>>>Research Associates, said investigators need to find out why grid >>>>operators were unable to increase power flows to the trouble spots, >>>>or promptly reduce demand, to restore the balance needed in the >>>>system." >>>> >>>> >>>>John Hebert wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>>Will, >>>>> >>>>>I skimmed through the article but saw no mention of Microsoft >>>>>failures. >>>>> >>>>>How did you arrive at your conclusion? >>>>> >>>>>John Hebert >>>>> >>>>>-----Original Message----- >>>>>From: will hill >>>>>To: [email protected] >>>>>Sent: 9/13/03 9:10 AM >>>>>Subject: [brlug-general] M$ did cause the blackout. >>>>> >>>>>It's all but official. Microsoft failures left operators blind to >>>>>problems they could have solved. The New York Times has a nice >>>>>summary: >>>>> >>>>>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/13/national/13POWE.html?hp >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>>General mailing list >>>>>[email protected] >>>>>http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >>>>> >>>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>>General mailing list >>>>>[email protected] >>>>>http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>>_______________________________________________ >>>>General mailing list >>>>[email protected] >>>>http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>--- >>>Dustin Puryear <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>Puryear Information Technology, LLC <http://www.puryear-it.com> >>>Providing expertise in the management, integration, and >>>security of Windows and UNIX systems, networks, and applications. >>> >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>General mailing list >>>[email protected] >>>http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >>> >>> >> >> >> >>_______________________________________________ >>General mailing list >>[email protected] >>http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net >> >> > > > > >_______________________________________________ >General mailing list >[email protected] >http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > >_______________________________________________ >General mailing list >[email protected] >http://brlug.net/mailman/listinfo/general_brlug.net > >
