These systems could be accessed by anyone – with no passwords at all Unprotected ICS access points mostly include the energy and water industries: offshore and onshore oil wells, as well as public and private water distribution and treatment systems But as our research shows, many ICS access points in the US, particularly in water and energy sectors, are still vulnerable to attacks:īy using search engines dedicated to scanning all open ports, or scanning the ports themselves, hackers can remotely take control of critical private and public US infrastructure Industry, institutions, and cybersecurity experts are all aware of the dangers associated with outdated ICS systems. Hand-picked by our team: the best web hosting providers on the marketīy scanning IP blocks for open ports in the US IP address range as part of an internet mapping project, we found a number of unprotected and accessible Industrial Control Systems in the country. Secure your online presence with the best VPNs in 2021īuild a website in no time with one of the best website builders in 2021 With many control systems based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology, end-of-life scenarios and the lack of affordable extended support solutions renders environments paralyzed balancing budgets between replacing systems or paying for high price extended maintenance." According to Morey Haber, CTO and CISO at BeyondTrust, "the problem is not a lack of understanding of the situation, but rather the time, cost, process, and suitable replacements for legacy technology. In the event of a coordinated cyberwarfare campaign, these control panels could be used by attackers to cause severe damage to private and public property, the environment, and public health and safety in the US.Ĭybersecurity experts have been raising awareness of such issues for decades, yet the lack of tangible progress in industrial cybersecurity may lie in the usage of off-the-shelf tech. Our research found that despite growing investments in infrastructure security, many ICS panels for both public and private infrastructure in the US are still unprotected and easily accessible to hackers.Īll of these control systems are left out in the open and easy for anyone to seize and manipulate. A large number of these potential targets are run by legacy Industrial Control Systems (ICS) that were designed without cybersecurity in mind and are thus extremely vulnerable to cyberattacks. Apart from attacking obvious targets like consumer devices and smart home appliances, hackers can exploit this niche to target and remotely seize control of a wide range of critical public and private infrastructure.
The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) has ushered in a new niche of widespread security vulnerabilities.
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