Cyber-kinetic attack

A cyber-kinetic attack is a cybersecurity threat that has the potential to destroy physical assets and human lives.[1] Notable attacks in this category in the recent past have targeted nuclear power plants,[2], oil refineries,[3], and medical facilities[4].

Crossing the cyber-physical divide

In the early days of computing, security threats were limited to those that caused destruction of data, or at the worst, computer hardware. However, the last several decades have seen technologies--ranging from embedded systems to Internet of Things--which directly control critical physical infrastructure. Such a system is termed as a Cyber-physical_system. Such systems cross the traditional divide between purely in-computer systems (software) and real-life systems (physical systems), with algorithms being autonomously able to control physical systems.

As computing crosses the cyber-physical barrier, there is significant effort spent on 'smart' systems, for instance smart cities, smart homes, smart manufacturing and smart vehicles. In the context of cybersecurity, new threats are emerging that target these smart systems. The timeline of cyber-kinetic attacks attests incidents from as early as 1982[5].

Reference
  1. Ivezic, Marin (2018-01-02). "The tangible threat of cyber-kinetic attacks". CSO Online. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  2. "IAEA chief: Nuclear power plant was disrupted by cyber attack". Reuters. 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  3. https://ics.sans.org/media/Media-report-of-the-BTC-pipeline-Cyber-Attack.pdf
  4. https://www.drugwatch.com/news/2019/07/11/medical-device-cyber-attacks-tv-plot-or-dangerous-reality/
  5. https://ivezic.com/cyber-kinetic-security/timeline-key-cyber-kinetic/
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