More SOX trouble for utilities?

Thanks to Bob Landman of HL Instruments for posting about this on the SCADA list: July 12, VNUNet "” Utility firms sitting on hacking time bomb. Utility companies could be facing a hacking time bomb owing to poor security measures. As more utilities move control and billing systems online an analyst has warned that hackers are increasingly turning their attention to the possibilities of controlling the systems. While there is little direct financial benefit in breaking into such systems, there may be other benefits. "The utility companies are moving to completely digital systems and security is not prioritized," said Fran Howarth of Hurwitz & Associates. "Hackers could siphon off electricity for use in projects like indoor drug farms, for example, and charge it to consumers. "The problem is that 80 to 90 percent of the critical infrastructure is in private hands and they have their own security problems, so consumers are low down on the list." Read the rest: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2194040/utilities−sitting−hacking−bomb