The Sellafield nuclear waste and decommissioning facility in the UK has reportedly been targeted by cyber threats allegedly linked to Russia and China. Claims suggest the incident, possibly dating back to 2015, involved sleeper malware infiltrating the facility’s computer networks, potentially accessing highly confidential material. Despite these allegations, Sellafield has firmly denied any successful cyber-attack, asserting their robust monitoring systems and lack of evidence for such malware.
Sellafield’s response to these allegations emphasized their commitment to cybersecurity, with multiple layers of protection across systems and servers. They highlighted that critical networks essential for safe operations are isolated from general IT networks, providing additional security against potential IT system attacks.
This incident is part of a larger context of global concerns regarding cyber attacks on civil nuclear infrastructure. For example, a recent data breach at the Idaho National Laboratory in the U.S. resulted in the compromise of employee personal information, with a hacktivist group claiming responsibility.
Cybersecurity experts have commented on the situation at Sellafield, pointing out the seriousness of such an oversight in a high-value facility. The need for leveraging threat intelligence to mitigate attacks and re-evaluating conventional cyber defense strategies has been stressed, given the rise in ransomware attacks and data breaches. A renowned computer security expert expressed concerns over the potential consequences of such a breach, emphasizing the gravity of cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure.
Source: Cyber Security Hub
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