UN watchdog group warns of cyberattacks on nuclear facilities

Nuclear facilities around the world are facing daily cyberattacks on their systems, a United Nations nuclear watchdog group said during a Monday conference.

“Reports of actual or attempted cyberattacks are now virtually a daily occurrence,” said Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). “Last year alone, there were cases of random malware-based attacks at nuclear power plants and of such facilities being specifically targeted.”

The conference at which Amano spoke, the International Conference on Computer Security in a Nuclear World, is in its inaugural year and goes until June 5, the UN reported.

“Staff responsible for nuclear security should know how to repel cyber-attacks and to limit the damage if systems are actually penetrated,” Amano said. “The IAEA is doing what it can to help governments, organizations, and individuals adapt to evolving technology-driven threats from skilled cyber adversaries.”