Large Hadron Collider security compromised with Website defacement
Posted
Saturday, September 13, 2008 11:29 AM
by
hwaldron
Greek hackers were able to penetrate LHC web server security controls to deface their public website. The network control system remained secure, as this is usually isolated by design from the Internet. CERN is evaluating this incident further to ensure all critical access remains secure.
Large Hadron Collider security compromised with Website defacement
http://government.zdnet.com/?p=3996
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/09/12/scicern212.xml
QUOTE: A team of Greek hackers calling themselvses Greek Security Team has penetrated the Large Hadron Collider and defaced a public website. No real damage done, but the hackers got perilously close.
Scientists working at Cern, the organisation that runs the vast smasher, were worried about what the hackers could do because they were "one step away" from the computer control system of one of the huge detectors of the machine, a vast magnet that weighs 12,500 tons, measuring around 21 metres in length and 15 metres wide/high.
If they had hacked into a second computer network, they could have turned off parts of the vast detector and, said the insider, "it is hard enough to make these things work if no one is messing with it." Fortunately, only one file was damaged but one of the scientists firing off emails as the CMS team fought off the hackers said it was a "scary experience".
To refine security methods Cern set up a working group called Computing and Network Infrastructure for Controls. One document written by the group said: "Recent events show that computer security issues are becoming a serious problem also at Cern."
Large Hadron Collider - Home Page (currently offline)
http://cmsmon.cern.ch/