At the same time that CERN started sending particles around the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), CERN’s computers were being hacked by a Greek group calling themselves, the Greek Security Team.

According to the Telegraph.co.uk, the hackers ‘were “one step away” from the computer control system of one of the huge detectors of the machine’.  Luckily, the hackers did not get into a second computer network that would have let them turn off different parts of the LHC.

Only one file was damaged during the attack but even so the CERN scientists who fought off the attack called it a “scary experience”.  The Greek Security Team attacked one specific area of the LHC known as the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment, or CMS, one of the four “eyes” of the facility.  This is one of two groups of scientists looking for the Higgs Boson or God Particle that is the subject of a bet between Stephen Hawking and Paul Higgs.

Although only one file was damaged, half a dozen other files were uploaded by the hackers.  The CMS computer team located and safely removed the files before any damage could be done.

Prior to the LHC computers at CERN being hacked, there were already fears that the experiments planned for the LHC would create Black Holes or Strange Matter that would destroy the Universe.  CERN has a page dedicated to answering the safety concerns surrounding the LHC experiments.  Computer security is not an item that was included.

However, CERN does have a complex and intricate system in place for providing security for the computers and experiments involved at the lab.

CERN relies on a ‘defence-in-depth’ strategy, separating control networks and using firewalls and complex passwords, to protect its control systems from malicious software, such as denial-of-service attacks, botnets and zombie machines, which can strike with a synchronised attack from hundreds of machines around the world.

CERN also has a dedicated group, Computing and Network Infrastructure for Controls, that is monitoring and refining the safety of the 110 control systems at CERN that monitor, supervise and safeguard Cern’s accelerators, experiments and infrastructure – from buildings, electricity and heating to access control, radiation protection and safety.

The attack never interfered with the commissioning of the giant machine.  The particles streams that were launched around the Collider went went better than expected and putting the team ahead of schedule.

CERN and the LHC appear to have weathered the hacker attack with minimal damage.  Hackers were unable to actually break through to the control systems for the Collider.  Once the attack was detected, the CMS scientists took care of stopping it and minimizing any damage that the hackers could accomplish.

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Entry was posted on Saturday, September 13th, 2008 at 4:21 pm under Science and technology, Security, Technology.

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