When people think of hacking, they think computers and thanks to the Sony scandal, movie houses. But a hack attack can strike at a place we often take for granted: our gas station.
I’m talking about gas tank venerability. According to the cyber security analysis at Rapid 7, there are automated tank gauges at over 5,000 gas stations across the US that are venerable to hack attacks. That’s only three percent of all gas stations across the country. ?Nevertheless, that’s more than enough for hackers to completely shut down these gas stations, causing ripple effects across the nation. Not only that, Rapid 7 discovered there are over 5,300 ATG (automated tank gauges) exposed on the Internet with no password protection. With little or no protection, hackers can falsify fuel levels, lie about tanks being full, start false alarms and completely shut stations down. This lack of protection can lead to malfunctions as well. One large ATG manufacturer/vendor that has addressed this problem is Veeder-Root. They are currently working to strengthen security in it’s products. “Security, accuracy and reliability are top priorities at Veeder-Root.We have taken immediate and decisive steps to inform each of our customers about activating the security features already available in their tank gauges,” said Veeder-Root president Andrew Hider through email. States that have the most venerable ATGs and gas station are New York, Florida, Texas, Virginia and Illinois.
Some may say, “It’s only a small percentage of gas stations? What’s the big deal?” One big deal is the biggest venerability is in the most populous states in the country. Let’s say hackers infect the ATGs and cause a few gas stations to shut down. Because of those shut downs, drivers have to go to the nearest one, which already has long lines. Before it’s your turn, that station is out of fuel supply. Now people can’t get to work, school, or go about their daily lives. Anger leads to panic and panic leads to mayhem. Do you see how a small problem really can turn into a big deal?