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I always wondered about this. First thing that crossed my mind at the time was that it was (1) idiots who thought it would be fun to cause high-profile trouble,
by csilverman 6y ago
I always wondered about this. First thing that crossed my mind at the time was that it was (1) idiots who thought it would be fun to cause high-profile trouble, or (2) terrorists, but it sounded a bit sophisticated for #1 and as far as I know, no one ever claimed credit for it.
After reading one of the references (https://money.cnn.com/2015/10/16/technology/sniper-power-grid/ https://money.cnn.com/2015/10/16/technology/sniper-power-gri...), and learning that they think it might have been an insider, a third possibility occurs to me: what if it was someone—maybe a PG&E employee—who knew first-hand how unprotected this infrastructure was, and wasn't being taken seriously? Especially given the Homeland Security report a year earlier about how easy this kind of attack would be.
Conspiracy-theory stuff, maybe, but:
> The assault...became a harsh wake-up call for energy providers, who have since become obsessed with the physical security of their remote power stations.
> PG&E alone has pledged to spend $100 million to improve security at its facilities...Transformers are often custom designed, sometimes costing $3 million each—and replacements are slow. Plus, physical attacks on energy distribution machines are much more effective at taking out the power grid than a computer hack. And it's incredibly easy to pull off, several energy utility firms told CNNMoney.
> Experts attending GridSecCon, held by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation this week, are now discussing the need to enclose electronics in 1/2-inch thick armor plating that can stop high-powered rifle rounds. Power utilities have started loading remote substations with infrared cameras, gunshot audio sensors and even seismic recorders that catch vibrations.
- bargle0 6y agoThere’s a fourth option: intentional vandalism that isn’t terrorism, like the fire on the USS Miami.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- csilverman 6y agoYeah, arbitrary vandalism was the first option I considered. Can't rule it out, although whoever did this seems to have shown more caution/coordination than you'd expect from a couple of drunk idiots taking potshots at street signs.
- tgsovlerkhgsel 6y agoNot drunk idiots, an insider. Compare e.g. the incident where a disgruntled worker decided to flood an area with raw sewage through false radio commands (https://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/pdf/08_1145.pdf https://www.mitre.org/sites/default/files/pdf/08_1145.pdf)
- roywiggins 6y agoOr the guy fingered for the 2001 anthrax attacks. If it was an insider, it was probably someone with a workplace grievance. Maybe someone who had raised concerns about security and wanted to prove himself correct, or just someone with a boss they disliked who wanted to make trouble.
- Sevrene 6y agoOh wow, that's my local area and I had never heard of this. Thanks for posting. Makes you wonder what happens that doesn't get discovered.
- skylanh 6y agoWell, if we're doing actionable conspiracy theories then: - it caused $15 million in damage, and $100 million in updated security -> contractor needing work - it was a "domestic terrorism" event -> what legislation or policies were on the table at this time? Those would be my starting points.
- csilverman 6y agoSomeone else mentioned job security/contracts as a possible motivation. It makes sense. I'm less sure about the terrorist angle. The point of a terrorist act is to advance or discourage a specific political agenda; that only works if you're clear about who you are and why you did it, though. These guys never did that (although maybe scaring PG&E into securing their facilities roughly fits the definition of goal-oriented violence, even if it wasn't motivated by politics).
- rocqua 6y agoOr what else happened at that time that could benefit from - losing power - losing network connection - a distraction in the news
- luma 6y agoMaybe somebody trying to sell physical infrastructure security solutions to PG&E?
- csilverman 6y agoI actually hadn't considered the idea that they might have a financial interest in grid security. It makes a certain kind of sense.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]