Author: Wayne Heilman / Source: Government Technology US
Software in everything from factories to traffic lights is the biggest threat for the FBI because it is used to control much of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
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(TNS) — Vulnerabilities in software that automates everything from factories to traffic lights has become the nation’s top cybersecurity threat, an agent on the FBI’s Denver Cyber Task Force said Thursday in Colorado Springs.
Supervisory control and data acquisition software is used to control — sometimes remotely — many types of devices in the energy, transportation, manufacturing and other industries and often is connected to sensors, valves, pumps, motors and other types of equipment to ensure safe operation, detect problems and maintain quality. The systems can be vulnerable to cyberattacks because they sometimes aren’t protected by sophisticated security systems since they aren’t accessible to or used by members of the public and usually are located in areas away from the public.
Dan Leyman, special agent in the Denver Cyber Task Force, said the industrial control software is the biggest threat for the FBI because it is used to control much of the nation’s critical infrastructure, ranging from dams and power grids to traffic control systems and waste water treatment plants. He made the comments during a panel discussion during a breakfast briefing at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort on cybersecurity by FedInsider.com, a Washington, D.C.-based website specializing in information and education about government management.
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