Is This For Real?
I'm not sure if this is real: CIA Admits Cyberattacks Blacked Out Cities:
The CIA on Friday admitted that cyberattacks have caused at least one power outage affecting multiple cities outside the United States.
Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, said that CIA senior analyst Tom Donahue confirmed that online attackers had caused at least one blackout...
Paller said that Donahue presented him with a written statement that read, "We have information, from multiple regions outside the United States, of cyber intrusions into utilities, followed by extortion demands. We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of these attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge. We have information that cyberattacks have been used to disrupt power equipment in several regions outside the United States. In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities. We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet."
Two points: 1) This statement mentions cities outside the US, not inside. 2) Since when does the CIA release information like this in a letter to SANS?
The CIA on Friday admitted that cyberattacks have caused at least one power outage affecting multiple cities outside the United States.
Alan Paller, director of research at the SANS Institute, said that CIA senior analyst Tom Donahue confirmed that online attackers had caused at least one blackout...
Paller said that Donahue presented him with a written statement that read, "We have information, from multiple regions outside the United States, of cyber intrusions into utilities, followed by extortion demands. We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of these attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge. We have information that cyberattacks have been used to disrupt power equipment in several regions outside the United States. In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities. We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet."
Two points: 1) This statement mentions cities outside the US, not inside. 2) Since when does the CIA release information like this in a letter to SANS?
Comments
The latest edition of SANS NewsBites (http://www.sans.org/newsletters/newsbites/newsbites.php?vol=10&issue=5) and today's entry in the SANS ISC (http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=3867) have more info.
- stretch
A CIA spokesman Friday declined to provide additional details.
"The information that could be shared in a public setting was shared," said spokesman George Little. "These comments were simply designed to highlight to the audience the challenges posed by potential cyber intrusions."
Statements like this don't happen in a vacuum.
-Griz
see NY Times