TECH
Vulnerability makes gasoline pumps an easy target for hacking attacks
Gas stations around the world will be vulnerable to hacking, remotely, for several years. Antivirus maker Kaspersky Lab has been working with companies to detail the vulnerabilities that have been discovered in drivers installed at gas pumps. According to the company, there are about 1,000 installed and connected online.Ido Naor, senior security analyst at Kaspersky, discovered the controller during a search for devices with open links to the internet. In some cases, the controllers have been installed in the gas pumps for about a decade and are connected to the network.A map shows some of the countries where vulnerabilities have been identified, including the United States, India and Spain.
Gas stations around the world will be vulnerable to hacking, remotely, for several years. Antivirus maker Kaspersky Lab has been working with companies to detail the vulnerabilities that have been discovered in drivers installed at gas pumps. According to the company, there are about 1,000 installed and connected online.Ido Naor, senior security analyst at Kaspersky, discovered the controller during a search for devices with open links to the internet. In some cases, the controllers have been installed in the gas pumps for about a decade and are connected to the network.A map shows some of the countries where vulnerabilities have been identified, including the United States, India and Spain.
The controller runs on Linux machines and operates with elevated privileges, leaving devices with vulnerabilities, as well as their connected systems, open to cyber attacks. In some instances, according to the Kaspersky report, researchers have been able to monitor and configure much of the gas pump options.
An attacker can bypass the access screen and use the main interfaces, such as shutting off all fueling systems, changing fuel prices and causing fuel leaks. The same vulnerability also makes it possible to erase vehicle registration and driver identity information, or to execute codes in the control units and move freely in the gas station network. You can still steal money at the payment terminals.
"When it comes to networked devices, it's easy to focus on just the new ones and forget the products installed years ago that may contain vulnerabilities open to attack," says Ido Naor, sharing his concern about the enormous damage that can be done through of sabotage of a petrol station.
In addition to sharing the discovery with the affected companies, Kaspersky also reported the vulnerabilities to MITRE, a problem-solving organization to make the world safer.
"When it comes to networked devices, it's easy to focus on just the new ones and forget the products installed years ago that may contain vulnerabilities open to attack," says Ido Naor, sharing his concern about the enormous damage that can be done through of sabotage of a petrol station.
In addition to sharing the discovery with the affected companies, Kaspersky also reported the vulnerabilities to MITRE, a problem-solving organization to make the world safer.
Sapo
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