Nuclear power plants are cyber attack targets: UN watchdog 
Cyber threats to nuclear power plants are a reality, said the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, quoted in a Reuters report on 10 October. Amano cited a case from two to three years ago where a nuclear power plant was the victim of a cyber attack and also referred to a similar incident involving a "dirty bomb". He warned that the risk of cyber attacks on nuclear facilities must be taken seriously and urged countries to bolster their security arrangements to prevent it from becoming a reality.

Cybercriminals disrupted the functioning of a nuclear power plant two to three years ago, reports Reuters, quoting Yukiya Amano, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Amano was speaking on the seriousness of cyber threats and a need to tighten security during a visit to Germany. He also cited a four-year-old case in which an individual attempted to smuggle a small amount of highly-enriched uranium that could have been used to build a so-called "dirty bomb."

Amano’s comments come amid increasing possibility of militants targeting nuclear facilities ever since the discovery of a malware that targets industrial controls. Several incidents of cyberattacks have come to light including the 2014 compromise of a South Korea plant and April 2016 breach of the Gundremmingen facility, according to Reuters.

"This issue of cyber attacks on nuclear-related facilities or activities should be taken very seriously. We never know if we know everything or if it's the tip of the iceberg," Amano said.

Read full story on Reuters.