Cyberattacks on Remotely Controlled Equipment: Current Information and Security Recommendations

In one incident, dam gates were opened remotely and the breach was detected four hours later. Many such systems can be controlled remotely and are often 10–15 years old. The recommendations are also based on guidance from France’s CERT-FR and agencies in the United States and allied countries. CERT.LV therefore strongly urges private healthcare institutions, laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and medical-supply distributors to check the security of their industrial control systems, paying particular attention to refrigeration and temperature-control equipment. Similar security risks may affect other operational technology (OT) systems, such as boiler control systems, water pumps, ventilation and climate-control equipment, solar-energy system control panels, and other remotely managed industrial equipment. Such cyberattacks can have very serious consequences because, unlike traditional cyber incidents that result in data theft or disruption of information systems, attacks on industrial control systems can directly affect physical processes and equipment operation. Since attackers may target not only refrigeration systems but also other OT systems—such as boilers, water pumps, or solar-energy system control panels—the National Cybersecurity Centre urges organizations to ensure that the OT systems they use are not exposed or directly accessible from the internet. Remote access should also use secure solutions and multifactor authentication, and OT systems should be separated from the organization’s or company’s overall IT network.