CBS's 60 Minutes aired a special report last night investigating how hackers can get into the computer systems that run crucial elements of the world's infrastructure, such as the power grids, water works or even a nation's military arsenal. From the report: "At the Sandia National Laboratories, Department of Energy security specialists like John Mulder try to hack into computer systems of power and water companies, and other sensitive targets in order to figure out the best way to sabotage them. It's all done with the companies' permission in order to identify vulnerabilities. In one test, they simulated how they could have destroyed an oil refinery by sending out code that caused a crucial component to overheat."

Full text and video of the report available here.

Related:
• 60 Minutes coverage "served a purpose: educating the mainstream audience about the seriousness of cyber crime and espionage" NextGov, Nov.9.2009
• Cyber Attacks Caused Power Outages in Brazil Wired, Nov.7.2009

Related topics: Cyberattack, Cybercrime, Malware, Security