Steel Plant infection with Ahack Worm

Event Year: 2008 Reliability: Confirmed
Country: Brazil
Industry Type: Metals
Description:

A former contractor used a G3 modem connection to have internet access inside the power plant. This infected the Power and Blast Furnace Plants with the Ahack worm.  The worm spread throughout the power plant automation network.  The flood of unwanted packets made the communication between the PLCs and the supervision stations unstable resulting in a loss of view.  The worm paralyzed the Windows Operating Systems on some machines.  The loss of view caused occasional stops and restarts of the SCADA systems.  The worm infection caused a loss of production/operation and ultimately, financial loss.

Impact:

The Ahack worm spread throughout the power plant automation network. The resulting loss of view caused occassional stops and restarts of the SCADA systems.  The worm infection caused a loss of production/operation and ultimately, financial loss.