Before I go on my annual leave from DKOSiousness, I ran across this today and did not see it covered in any other diaries.
BlackEnergy is apparently a variant of Stuxnet, the computer malware that infected Iran's nuclear computer system and caused the centrifuges to self-destruct. AlJazeeraAmerica It is believed to have originated in Russia and has already infected MSWord programs in Poland and the Ukraine WeLiveSecurity
Powersource 11-11-2014
By Anya Litvak and Deborah M. Todd / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A malicious software dubbed BlackEnergy has intrigued and frightened cybersecurity experts, in part because of its intent and in part because of its origin.
BlackEnergy is designed to target critical energy infrastructure and is believed to have originated with Russian government-sponsored hackers.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Oct. 29 cyberthreat alert was, unfortunately, business as usual for many of the nation’s companies. However, with the potential attack on water, electricity and other features of the nation’s critical infrastructure linked to Russian cyber criminals, security practices within private companies have become the public’s business.
More links to articles
ICS-CERT alerts
SecurityWeek
DellSecureWorks
I am not a techie, so won't try to go into any detail beyond providing expert sources. My takeaway is that the water, power grid and entire computer infrastructure are being infected by nasty little trojans which can be operated remotely.
Cheers, then--enjoy the rest of the Winter, everyone!