Hackers attack Large Hadron Collider

Hackers infiltrate Large Hadron Collider & shutdown CMS website

Uk Telegraph

Now it has emerged that, as the first particles were circulating in the machine near Geneva, a Greek group had hacked into the facility and displayed a page with the headline "GST: Greek Security Team."

The people responsible signed off: "We are 2600 - dont mess with us. (sic)"

The website - cmsmon.cern.ch - can no longer be accessed by the public as a result of the attack.

Scientists working at Cern, the organisation that runs the vast smasher, were worried about what the hackers could do because they were "one step away" from the computer control system of one of the huge detectors of the machine, a vast magnet that weighs 12,500 tons, measuring around 21 metres in length and 15 metres wide/high.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 12-9-2008 by ufossydney]





Mod Edit: Title and link correction - Jak

[edit on 12/9/08 by JAK]

this is disturbing news indeed!
At team of hackers gained access today into the Large Hadron Collider facility today and successfully hacked into it\'s CMS network. The CMS website was shutdown and the network was compromised and this brings the whole safety and security of the facility into question. Apparently they were just \"one step away\" from the computer control system of one of the huge detectors of the machine.
see their site is down - cmsmon.cern.ch...

Read more about this here

www.realufos.net
(visit the link for the full news article)

While I can't say whether is was possible to get control of the LHC just by some hacks, but it would be really foolish to connect that system to the internet and that too insecurely.

Any such critical systems MUST be physically isolated from any public networks.

reply to post by rocksolidbrain



Agreed

Also I'm curious as to the reliability of the news source?

Thats unbeleivable you would think with all the hype and rumers that they would have better security you shouldnt even be able to control any aspect of a machien like that over the internet.

The hackers targeted the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment, or CMS, one of the four "eyes" of the facility that will be analysing the fallout of the Big Bang.

The CMS team of around 2,000 scientists is racing with another team that runs the Atlas detector, also at Cern, to find the Higgs particle, one that is responsible for mass.

"Hackers attack Large Hadron Collider - Telegraph"

[edit on 12-9-2008 by arktkchr]

page is down. Any one have it cached or anything?

reply to post by scoobdude


...fixed my link above your post -- should work.

reply to post by ufossydney


Rather ironic news considering that it was CERN that gave birth to this very medium we're using to post here, and used to hack the LHC machines

[edit on 12-9-2008 by citizen smith]

Originally posted by citizen smith
reply to post by ufossydney

 

Rather ironic news considering that it was CERN that gave birth to this very medium we're using to post here, and used to hack the LHC machines

[edit on 12-9-2008 by citizen smith]

Are you trying to say CERN created the internet?

I completely agree that some thing this big and high tech should be on a closed network to prevent this sorta thing. aw well, lesson learned

It amazes me that we can spend $4.4 billion dollars on something like this and yet not spend anything on IT Security. I bet if anyone were to visit this location there would be numerous security guards walking around acting like gods.

It is just like everything else, physical security is far more important that technical security.

We live and learn!!!

Originally posted by Reddupo

Are you trying to say CERN created the internet?

Yea, basically. Tim Berners-Lee is the person truly credited for inventing the world wide web, and he worked at CERN

I don't think 2600 really did it. 2600's been pretty quiet lately, and isn't known for doing stupid stunts. Although in reviewing what seemed to have happened, considering there wasn't any actual damage done, and what happened seemed to be "just to show it was hackable" it could be classified as a white hat or gray hat event. (In which case I'd consider 2600, but we've been pretty quiet for the past 3 or 4 years).

Go to barnes and noble, pick up a copy of 2600, and see what I mean. Most of the articles are written with a disclaimer saying things like "Don't do this for malicious reasons". The timing is the big hint here, 2600 likes to stay behind the scenes, not doing something out in the open (on the big day).

Regardless, I'm glad they didn't blow anything up on the big day while tests were being run, and it should teach the teams to keep their security locked tight.

Wouldn't it be strange if the LHC actually DID destroy the earth, but only because incompetent hackers tried to shut it down? Ironic!

How long will it be before some nutcase or whoever tries to mess with a nuclear power station? Or have they already done so and the authorities are keeping quiet about it?
Let's face it, if something is on a computer system then someone, somewhere at sometime will eventualy get to it.

Thats pretty silly. i know that the data collected to LHC is being sent around a HUGE network of computers for porcessing, at about 100gb speed. so i dont think it would be impossible to remotely access one of these. and find a way to get into, More important machine's at cern.

But the computers regulating the LHC, should be completly seperate to the data collection, and relaying computors. So i think this has been Exaggerated alot, as i doubt that they would make such a mistake.

It seems like the live cams are back up now:

www.cyriak.co.uk...

I've been watching reports of websites being attacked, even ATS was in the firing line Please see here

There is a link on that thread, sorry i can't remember which one exactly.

Even SkepticOverlord got in on the case, go see what he discovered.

It's getting worse all this hacking, it won't be long before someone gets into a system of real importance and someone is going to die, their answer will be it was harmless fun, sure it is until someone gets hurt, or caught.

reply to post by monkeybus


ROFLMAO i just about had a heart attack clicking on your link, that is so scary.

Very cool star from me lol, got to pass that along.

Originally posted by citizen smith
reply to post by ufossydney

 

Rather ironic news considering that it was CERN that gave birth to this very medium we're using to post here, and used to hack the LHC machines

[edit on 12-9-2008 by citizen smith]

I'm board and I feel like nit picking

That would be a coincidence... For that to be Ironic (personally) I would say that CERN would of had to of conceived the internet to be used for hacking.

On the other hand...

Originally posted by MrGrieves
Wouldn't it be strange if the LHC actually DID destroy the earth, but only because incompetent hackers tried to shut it down? Ironic!

That one could be Ironic for the hackers. [edit] if the hackers intent was to save the Earth.

Pet peeve of mine still trying to get my head round using the Irony correctly

[edit on 12/9/2008 by Now_Then]

Originally posted by azzllin
reply to post by monkeybus

 

ROFLMAO i just about had a heart attack clicking on your link, that is so scary.

Very cool star from me lol, got to pass that along.

Same reaction from me lmao My heart stopped