North East Outage Caused by BPL Test Site

[K2WH]

The northeast power grid was brought to it's knees today by a 14 year old hacker financed and supported by Al Queda operatives in an attempt to gain control of the U.S. power grid via a BPL test site. #BPL is an acronym for Broadband over Power Lines. #A utility spokesman #sheepishly admitted that it is an unproven experiment aimed at providing high speed internet services over the power grid.

The hacker, (living in East Pakistan), was arrested this morning and immediately confessed he was the individual who caused the cascading power outage in the north east. #He was led out of his house screaming "God is Great" and "Death to America". #Since there are no laws in Pakistan for this type of offense, his lawyer insisted the police could not legally hold him. #The police reluctantly agreed. #Therefore, he was let go before the FBI could arrest him for electronic terrorism. #They are still looking for him as of this writing.

Further investigation revealed that he was hacking into a BPL test site in Allentown Pennsylvania. #He was able to gain access to the computer control and protective monitoring system for the power grid which also uses these very same lines for control and command of switching systems. #A simple shutdown command with and embedded worm was issued bypassing passwords, #commanded the upstate New York power grid to open 500kv circuit breakers. #These breakers are owned by Niagra Mohawk Utility. #Loss of these transmission lines forced interconnected utilities to disconnect from the grid because they could not handle the demand by existing users. #Therefore, other computers commanded other breakers to open to prevent wholesale damage to the North East distribution system.

The rest is history.

[KG4RMB]

If you posted this tounge-in-cheek forgive me for being whooshed....

If not please post a citiation to corroborate that info. It doesn't take a deliberate act to cause what we have seen, and so far you are the only one relaying that it was deliberate.

Either way we have seen just how much we've gained from all the $$ spent on Homeland Security.

[KD5KUF]

I knew it was a conspiracy. But are you sure the "alien" involved wore a towel on his head, and not a space helmet? #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[ka1kjz]

OMG!!! Someone actually believed that!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!

[KG4RMB]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ka1kjz @ Aug. 15 2003,12http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">OMG!!! Someone actually believed that!!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Of course I belived it, that's why I asked for a cite. I wanted to see how far he would go making something up to 'back it up'

Heck it's no more credible than 90% of the other stuff in this forum


<!--emo&amp;http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

73
Monte

[ka5s]

Not true, of course #- but a darned good lie.

Now let's hope it wasn't caused by a powerplant operator bringing his HT to work and taking down the phase control circuits for the generators when he transrnitted..

Cortland

[KM5FL]

Hummmph... And all the time I thought it happened when a cber keyed up his 487,886 gigawatt 11 meter leanyar and overloaded the grids!!!!!

FWIW, I like the 14 year old Pakistani hacker story better...

KM5FL

[ae4fa]

Great story! This will probably be on the front of the National Enquirer next week!

[kc0kvu]

... I heard you could see Satan's face in the stars over NYC...Nostradomus predicts massive baby rearing in 9mos...

I believe everything I read, unless I wrote it. TOM

[ka1ogm]

The idea of a hacker is far-fetched, but I don't discount the coincidence of BPL testing going on for however many weeks or months prior to this event. What, after all, can happen to a control line around 136kHz when it is suddenly sharing the same super-huge &quot;antenna system&quot; with digital noise between 2 to 80 mHz? Is it impossible for &quot;retries&quot; to increase? Is it impossible for critical software controlled milliseconds long control reactions in the system to be critically delayed?

I wonder.

Jeff
KA1OGM

[W1RFI]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ka1ogm @ Aug. 14 2003,19:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The idea of a hacker is far-fetched, but I don't discount the coincidence of BPL testing going on for however many weeks or months prior to this event. #What, after all, can happen to a control line around 136kHz when it is suddenly sharing the same super-huge &quot;antenna system&quot; with digital noise between 2 to 80 mHz? #Is it impossible for &quot;retries&quot; to increase? #Is it impossible for critical software controlled milliseconds long control reactions in the system to be critically delayed?

I wonder.

Jeff
KA1OGM[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
This problem would not have been caused by anythng that may happen on neighborhood distribution wiring. The PLC that the utility industry uses to control their systems is essentially used on those big high-tension lines that feed power from one major area to another. To my knowldege, there is no BPL signals being conducted onto those lines in any of the trial areas.

There are enough real issues related to BPL; we don't have to make any new ones up. Among people who don't understand all of the issues, doing so casts doubt on areas that are not based on speculation.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI

[K2WH]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (W1RFI @ Aug. 15 2003,06:37)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ka1ogm @ Aug. 14 2003,19:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">The idea of a hacker is far-fetched, but I don't discount the coincidence of BPL testing going on for however many weeks or months prior to this event. #What, after all, can happen to a control line around 136kHz when it is suddenly sharing the same super-huge &quot;antenna system&quot; with digital noise between 2 to 80 mHz? #Is it impossible for &quot;retries&quot; to increase? #Is it impossible for critical software controlled milliseconds long control reactions in the system to be critically delayed?

I wonder.

Jeff
KA1OGM[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
This problem would not have been caused by anythng that may happen on neighborhood distribution wiring. The PLC that the utility industry uses to control their systems is essentially used on those big high-tension lines that feed power from one major area to another. To my knowldege, there is no BPL signals being conducted onto those lines in any of the trial areas.

There are enough real issues related to BPL; we don't have to make any new ones up. #Among people who don't understand all of the issues, doing so casts doubt on areas that are not based on speculation.

73,
Ed Hare, W1RFI[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
As an electrical engineer in power distribution, power delivery and a ham radio operator, I agree that BPL signals are not &quot;intentionally&quot; placed on EHV transmission feeders. #However, there are many places and locations where sub-transmission and lower level distribution lines are quite close (physically) to each other.

Since BPL is not applied to shielded lines, BPL is free to radiate from distribution and sub-transmission lines and could very easily be picked up on EHV transmission lines.

I know the level would probably be very low, but I'm sure it could and would happen. #Whether the level would be of any consequence, is a matter of conjecture.

Anyway, the outage in the east has been analyzed and it was found that Beldar from the planet VersaTuner needed to refuel his spaceship which was conveniently parked at the bottom of Lake Erie. So, he hovered over the grid in the Buffalo NY area and sucked up a full tank of needed electons (~ 500 megawatts worth) and left the planet to visit his home world and his dampadorn family. You can read all about it in the Enquirer in a few days.

K2WH

[KG4RMB]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> Anyway, the outage in the east has been analyzed and it was found that Beldar from the planet VersaTuner needed #to refuel his spaceship which was conveniently parked at the bottom of Lake Erie. #So, he hovered over the grid in the Buffalo NY area and sucked up a full tank of needed electons (~ 500 megawatts worth) and left the planet to visit his home world and his dampadorn family. #You can read all about it in the Enquirer in a few days.

K2WH [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

Now THATS'S news you can use, and thanks for clearing it up, I knew the truth was out there.

Everyone knows that it's illegal for a 14 year old Pakastani to remote-operate the Versatuner 3.14.16c refueling unit while planetside. It's all so clear to me now. As per statistical norm, it was operator error likely due to a failure to RTFM.

Either that or the Russians firing off that &quot;woodpecker&quot; scalar howitzer again.

<span style='font-size:7.3pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:blue'>Tinfoil Hat</span></span>
# # # http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
73
KG4RMB

[k3sam]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">487,886 gigawatt 11 meter leanyar and overloaded the grids[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I know that CAN'T be true as the 11 meter amps NEVER went higher than 486,001 gigawatts. #Please don't post false information !

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Since BPL is not applied to shielded lines, BPL is free to radiate from distribution and sub-transmission lines and could very easily be picked up on EHV transmission lines.
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Yeh, I understand that if you make an adapter to plug your antenna IN directly into the wall outlet OUT, the receive is better. #(Don't try this at home, may cause severe headaches and loss of money and personal creditability)

Seriously, I understand the control frequencies for the power companies are around 136khz, in the LF section. #I've already heard data and beacons around there.

- Sam

[kf4lne]

You're all wrong. Somewhere there is a Micro$oft product involved http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[kc0kvu]

&quot;...ONE POINT TWENTY-ONE JIGAWATTS?!?!&quot;

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[ei5ja]

Sorry boys but it was my (late) pet rat who got loose in Ohio and chewed through th cable http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[M1ACQ]

Uhhhhhh . . . . .

Were those guys running windows NT/2K/XP http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

(buffer overflow springs to mind but that may just be my nasty cynical nature)

Frank

[ka5s]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kf4lne @ Aug. 16 2003,07http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">You're all wrong. Somewhere there is a Micro$oft product involved <!--emo&amp;http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Could be. I got the following message the other day:


---------------------------------------------------
Subject: One OS to Rule Them All...

One OS to Rule Them All...

&lt;&gt;

Recently one of my friends, a computer wizard, paid me a visit. #As we were talking I mentioned that I had recently installed Windows XP on my PC. I told him how happy I was with this operating system and showed him the Windows XP CD. To my surprise he threw it into my microwave oven and turned it on.

Instantly I got very upset, because the CD had become precious to me, but he said: 'Do not worry, it is unharmed.' #After a few minutes he took the CD out, gave it to me and said: 'Take a close look at it.

To my surprise the CD was quite cold to hold and it seemed to be heavier than before. At first I could not see anything, but on the inner edge of the central hole I saw an inscription, an inscription finer than anything I had ever seen before. The inscription shone piercingly bright, and yet remote, as if out of a great depth:

4F6E65204F5320746F2072756C65207468656D20616C6C2C
4F6E65204F5320746F2066696E64207468656D2C
4F6E65204F5320746F206272696E67207468656D20616C6C
416E6420696E20746865206461726B6E6573732062696E6420 7468656D2E

'I cannot understand the fiery letters,' I said in a timid voice. #'No but I can,' he said. 'The letters are Hex, of an ancient mode, but the language is that of Microsoft, which I shall not utter here. #But in common English this
is what it says:

One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

'It is only two lines from a verse long known in System lore:

Three OS's from corporate kings in their towers of glass,
Seven from valleylords where orchards used to grow,
Nine from dotcoms doomed to die,
One from the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie.

One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Redmond where the Shadows lie.
--------------------------------------

A Florida power system manager, asked if this means Microsoft was behind the blackout said &quot;Yes!&quot;

But he's probably a Linux user anyway.


Cortland

[M1ACQ]

KA5S - you owe me a new keyboard darnit !!!

that was very funny