The developer of a £50bn project in Britain, aimed at constructing a massive underground nuclear waste facility, revealed that cyber-criminals have attacked their company.
The company responsible for the Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) project, Radioactive Waste Management, reported that hackers made an unsuccessful attempt to hack into their business through LinkedIn.
RWM is the government-owned entity behind a trio of nuclear bodies that merged last year to create Nuclear Waste Services (NWS). The new body brought together the GDF project, the long-established Low Level Waste Repository in west Cumbria and another body responsible for managing waste to develop a store expected to last 175 years.
In the financial statements submitted to Companies House for RWM, NWS’s CEO Corhyn Parr mentioned concerns about potential exploitation of ownership changes, particularly through targeted attacks on LinkedIn.
According to Parr, the cyber incidents at RWM last year did not have a significant impact.
A representative stated that NWS, along with other UK companies, has noticed the use of LinkedIn to identify their employees. However, their multiple layers of defense have successfully detected and denied these attempts.
Specialists have cautioned that hackers utilize social media platforms in various ways to bypass security measures. Such methods involve generating fraudulent business profiles, sending deceptive messages to gather personal information or entice users to click on harmful links, and even attempting to obtain login credentials for other secure accounts.
This form of social manipulation, which encompasses tactics such as email, phone, and text attacks, can serve as an entry point for obtaining confidential data from both companies and individuals.
The government is currently searching for a location to build the GDF project, which is a system of underground tunnels and vaults intended to store Britain’s extremely radioactive nuclear waste. The estimated cost of the project is between £20 billion and £53 billion, and it is projected to begin receiving waste in the 2050s. This project is similar to other deep repository initiatives in Finland and France.
In the beginning of this year, it was determined that Allerdale in Cumbria was not geologically suitable for the facility. This leaves two other sites in Cumbria and one on the Lincolnshire coast as the remaining options. NWS is currently conducting surveys at each site and working to gain approval from the surrounding communities, despite facing opposition from locals.
Parr stated that the NWS’s main concern is the potential danger and actions related to obtaining approval for a GDF.
Amid this context, the corporation stated that potential dangers encompassed “a digital attack, manipulation tactics, false information, efforts to obtain details regarding community alliances, internet activism, and employee well-being in the virtual realm.”
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LinkedIn has previously notified its users about potential scams and shared methods to prevent any harm.
The topic of digital security has gained attention in the nuclear industry after the Guardian exposed a series of cybersecurity issues at the Sellafield facility in Cumbria.
According to a representative from NWS, as a nationally significant industry, we are aware that we will always be vulnerable to cyber attacks.
NWS has not experienced any cyber incidents that have caused disruptions to our business or site operations. Our cyber defences have successfully detected and rejected low-level phishing attempts. There is no proof to suggest that cyber threats are being utilized to sway public opinion on the location of a Geological Disposal Facility.
We are consistently watchful and dedicated to enhancing our methods in order to maintain the utmost level of cybersecurity. We continually work on improving our processes for maintaining operations and recovering from any disruptions, in accordance with our changing business requirements.
Source: theguardian.com
