Full Disclosure mailing list archives
Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?]
From: "Stephen Clowater" <steve () stevesworld hopto org>
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 05:36:08 -0300
Its highly unlikely that msblast had anything to do with the power outage. For one, the internal rpc network that is used to monitor actual power spikes, and to move current from one circut to the next in a grid is a closed network. And in the areas were it cant be closed (between major utilities) it is tunnled via a VPN. Yes it runs a bit of NT4 and a bit of Windows 2000, In the next few years there has been a plan proposed to make freeBSD a standard. MSblast did not cause this, there have been warnings for the last 10 years that the grid was overloaded in the particular ring were the overload started. For years people have been warning that if a major transmitton line went during a high demand period of time, then you could be looking at a surge larger than can be midigated coming out of that ring. And then when it happens people come up with this theory that its msblast? Please, if that were the case, why have none of hte other billons of windows vunerabilities ever affected the grid? more specifically, why havent any of the thousands of rpc vunerabilites ever effected the grid? And sure enough, this morning on CNN, officals said they have a working theory that a major transmition line inside the ring went, wich created a back wave in the grid until it finaly came around in the form of a hudge surge. Niagra somehow saw this coming and shut down all generators in time to stay on the grid, and as the failure expanded more failsafes kicked in to contain it. This is far from a complete explanation. But it fits the avialable facts, it fits the timetable of what happened, and it makes logical sense in relation to the recent history of the power grid. Now can we give msblast a rest? :) _______________________________________________ Full-Disclosure - We believe in it. Charter: http://lists.netsys.com/full-disclosure-charter.html
Current thread:
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?], (continued)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] KF (Aug 15)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Kane Lightowler (Aug 14)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] tetsujin (Aug 15)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Andre Ludwig (Aug 14)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] RMcElroy (Aug 15)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] gml (Aug 15)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Jason Coombs (Aug 15)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] -SIMON- (Aug 15)
- Official Microsoft RPC DCOM scanning tool Joey (Aug 15)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Geoff Shively (Aug 15)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Stephen Clowater (Aug 15)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Geoff Shively (Aug 15)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Stephen Clowater (Aug 16)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Geoff Shively (Aug 16)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Stephen Clowater (Aug 16)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] gml (Aug 15)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Bernie, CTA (Aug 16)
- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Richard M. Smith (Aug 16)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Geoff Shively (Aug 16)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Bernie, CTA (Aug 16)
- Re: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Geoincidents (Aug 16)
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- RE: east coast powergrid / SCADA [OT?] Bernie, CTA (Aug 16)