News Story - canada.com network: "JIM KRANE
Canadian Press
Thursday, September 11, 2003
NEW YORK (AP) - Since last month's blackout, utilities have accelerated plans to automate the electricity grid, replacing aging systems with digital switches and other high-tech gear.
But those very improvements render the electricity supply more vulnerable to computer viruses and hackers who could black out substations, cities or entire regions.
Researchers working for the U.S., Canadian and British governments have already sniffed out 'back doors' in the digital relays and control room technology that increasingly direct electricity flow.
With a few keystrokes, they say, they could shut the computer equipment down - or change settings in ways that might trigger cascading blackouts.
'I know enough about where the holes are,' said Eric Byres, a cybersecurity researcher for critical infrastructure at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver. "
COMMENT:
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Fortunatley most critical business and infrastructures have plans in place to
handle situations like this if they do ever occur. The greater threat lies in
the lack of funding to key functional areas of the utilities to mitigate the
risk of digital intrusions.
