back to article Ukraine claims it blocked VPNFilter attack at chemical plant

A Ukrainian intel agency has claimed it stopped a cyber attack against a chlorine plant that was launched using the notorious VPNFilter malware. Ukraine's SBU Security Service said it thwarted an attack on network equipment belonging to the LLC Aulska chlorine plant in Auly, about an hour away from Dnepr City in Dnipropetrovsk …

  1. Blockchain commentard

    They were infected. Very difficult to then thwart the attack. Think horse, bolt, stable door.

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      The VPNFilter nasty infects mostly consumer and the lowest tier of SME routers. Having that as routing equipment in an industrial plant shows a level of cluelessness which makes any other claims highly doubtful.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Mostly is not everything...what did it infect?

        Even in the 2000's I can think of power stations whose password for systems was well um...you guess and only one have one go...but it was only axcessible via a modem so not on the internet ha ha!

      2. Alan Brown Silver badge

        "The VPNFilter nasty infects mostly consumer and the lowest tier of SME routers"

        Being forced to deal with SCADA equipment in various industrial equipment and power-generation equipment makes me WISH it was as advanced as consumer or lowest tier SME equipment.

        Seriously,

        The kind of stuff that even advanced countires are using in factory/industrial environments would make you gnash your teeth - and the maintenance companies will react to your security demands by backdooring you via a 4G connection because you're being "difficult"

    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
      Coat

      "They were infected. Very difficult to then thwart the attack. Think horse, bolt, stable door."

      Sodium Hypochlorite makes for a very good disinfectant.

      The one with the bleach marks -------->

  2. Potemkine! Silver badge

    Come on!

    Putin is a nice guy, so said the orange arsehole.

    1. MiguelC Silver badge

      Re: Come on!

      Oh but he is, just never drink the tea he offers you....

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Come on!

        Oh but he is, just never drink the tea he offers you....

        The tea was on offer not from Putin's gang actually. In fact, UK media has been quite shtum on the fact that Litvinenko is the last, but not the first glowing in the dark dead body in the Тhree Whales affair.

        I suggest instead of repeating blindly the Daily Fail, to do some reading. It will take you 2-3 searches to get to both the other dead bodies and the source of the glow.

        Start here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Whales_Corruption_Scandal - the original sources are Novaya Gazeta and several other Russian opposition newspapers.

        If you ware wondering what was Litvinenko's role in that, he was working for Berezovski at the time and his employer's name pops up in quite a few places around that affair.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Come on!

          >The tea was on offer not from Putin's gang actually.

          You got a downvote. Clearly Russian cyber criminals have also infected this forum!

        2. Alan Brown Silver badge

          Re: Come on!

          "The tea was on offer not from Putin's gang actually."

          The problem with having a country run by mobsters is that not all of the mobsters are under the control of the mobsters supposedly in charge, and there are mob wars constantly going on in the background.

          The fact that Putin is _trying_ to rule with a Stalinesque "iron fist" but not succeeding is what makes Russia even more dangerous than if he was actually managing to achieve that goal.

    2. Aodhhan

      Re: Come on!

      Actually, it was Obama who said Putin is nice.

      Obama: Hey, Putin is nice... let's pull our defense systems out of eastern Europe as a sign of good faith and friendship.

      Putin: Ha! The American's pulled back, strike Crimea! No worries... Obama will just draw another red line he will not enforce.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    At last, an allegation of cyber crime for a country that I can believe.

  4. _LC_
    WTF?

    Shall we believe them?

    https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31359021

    [The untold story of the Maidan massacre]

    https://birdinflight.com/world/maidan-activist-ivan-bubenchyk-it-s-true-i-shot-them-in-the-back-of-the-head.html

    [Maidan Activist Ivan Bubenchyk: It’s True I Shot Them in the Back of the Head]

    What a nice 'revolution' that was. Rather 'revolting', I'd say...

  5. The Nazz

    Move along please,

    No Crimea.

  6. sanmigueelbeer
    FAIL

    I'd recommend Ukranian Intel folks to STFU.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Russian cyber attack against a chlorine plant

    "A Ukrainian intel agency has claimed it stopped a cyber attack against a chlorine plant that was launched using the notorious VPNFilter malware"

    Have they ever considered not connecting their chlorine plant directly to the Internet?

    Is this the same Ukraine that deposed a lawfully-elected government and installed an American puppet instead, or as translated into WashingtonSpeak “Yankovich fleeing after we brokered a deal to transition power in Ukraine.”, Barack Obama

    What is this neocon propaganda doing on a technology website?

    1. JCitizen
      Megaphone

      Re: Russian cyber attack against a chlorine plant

      When you saw the resolve on the people of Ukraine, the fighting in the streets with no weapons - going up against bullets with trash cans and home made armor - I'm sorry but that is the people I like and want to know. They were brave enough to fight for freedom even if they had to do it with bare fists! I will never believe that the system that put the Russian puppet in power was legitimate.

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