On Tuesday, the FBI also released an alert (Opens in a new window) to companies and governments, which points to “poor password security” and “outdated Windows 7” use as security weaknesses the hacker likely exploited to break into the Florida water plant.In an surprise development broadband ISP TalkTalk has taken the decision to block the popular TeamViewer service from their UK network, which means that anybody wanting to use the Virtual Private Network (VPN) service will find themselves unable to connect.Īt this point we should be clear that TeamViewer itself is a perfectly legitimate application. (The Associated Press was first to report (Opens in a new window) the news.) The same post contains details from federal investigators on how the breach at the water plant in Florida likely occurred. The details about the breach come from an advisory (Opens in a new window) the Massachusetts state government released to local water suppliers urging them to be on guard against cyber attacks. To make matters worse, the affected computers ran a 32-bit version of Windows 7, which no longer receives security updates, save for enterprise customers who bought extended life support. The same computers were connected to the internet, without a firewall, making it easier for any hacker to breach the machines over the open internet.
However, all the computers shared the same password for remote access. To gain access to the water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida, the unknown hacker exploited a program called TeamViewer, which companies and governments can install on a PC to remotely view a machine’s desktop screen over the internet, and even control the mouse cursor.Įmployees at the water treatment plant in Florida installed TeamViewer on several computers to help them manage the facility. On Tuesday, federal and state officials released details of how the hack likely occurred-and all signs point to poor security practices as a main culprit.
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