Cybercrims go beyond stealing data to attack physical building systems
'Hold my beer, have fun getting into your offices'
In recent months, cybercriminals have shifted their focus from merely stealing data to directly attacking physical building systems. This trend has led to incidents where temperatures spiked, food spoiled, and fires broke out in grocery stores across France. A ransomware attack also disrupted building-management systems at a Canadian hospital, impacting door access controls, central HVAC monitoring, and staff access cards.
Three years ago, cyberattacks hit Las Vegas casinos, causing slot machines to go dark, preventing payment kiosks and ATMs from dispensing cash, and locking guests out of their rooms when electronic keys stopped functioning. These attacks demonstrate that digital intrusions can have severe real-world consequences, prompting executives to consider paying extortion demands.
Tim Beasley, a senior incident response consultant, recounted an incident where threat actors locked an organization out of its offices, forcing police to break in and restore access. He emphasized that paying the ransom is generally not advisable. A report from ServiceNow's Armis Labs highlights the growing trend of ransomware attackers exploiting physical consequences as leverage in their attacks.
They target building automation systems (BAS) that control HVAC, lighting, energy usage, water consumption, badge readers, door locks, surveillance cameras, and fire alarm systems.
These systems are attractive targets due to their critical role in facilities' operations. Additionally, 91 percent of BAS communicate over insecure protocols, providing more avenues for cybercriminals to exploit. The primary advantage of targeting building management systems (BMS) and other OT systems is that they often have fewer security controls than IT systems.
Most require continuous uptime, making them challenging to patch or scan for vulnerabilities. As a result, attackers can hide their activities more effectively within these systems.
Furthermore, AI is being leveraged by attackers to understand and exploit building automation systems, even those using obscure operating systems like VxWorks and older Unix variants. This trend underscores the need for improved security measures in physical systems to prevent catastrophic consequences.
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