Industrial control systems security specialist, Applied Risk, has identified a number of flaws in various WirelessHART products
WirelessHART technology offers a number of functions for monitoring and control across different industries including the measurement of temperature, flow, pressure and humidity, the company said.
Jalal Bouhdada, founder and principal security consultant for Applied Risk, stated, “Our research team was concerned to find a number of vulnerabilities in various WirelessHART components used across the globe, by some of the biggest players in industry. The majority of plants are unaware of the risks as security assessments at this level have often been overlooked.”
Applied Risk is using its research on the newly detected vulnerabilities to create the first WirelessHART Fuzzer in the industry, designed to test these devices for possible faults.
Bouhdada added, “The risks this flaw pose reach far beyond financial loss. The loss of production is a significant issue for manufacturers, as are fines from customers if products aren’t delivered on time. The most serious risk, however, is the loss of life in the case of explosions, especially in hazardous environments. Alongside the potential impact to the environment, an attack could lead to significant reputational damage. End users and ICS suppliers must take a more proactive and thorough approach to testing – and implementing security measures to effectively tackle these threats.”
