Riaan 
Izithombe ze-Getty
Abacwaningi bathole uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha oludizayinelwe ukuphazamisa ukudluliswa kwamandla kagesi futhi kungenzeka ukuthi lusetshenziswe uhulumeni waseRussia ekuziqeqesheni ukudala noma ukuphendula ukuhlasela kwe-inthanethi kumagridi kagesi.
Yaziwa nge-CosmicEnergy, uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha lunamandla afanayo nalawo atholakala ohlelweni olungayilungele ikhompuyutha aziwa ngokuthi Industroy futhi Industroyer2, kokubili okushiwo kabanzi ngabacwaningi be-Sandworm, okuyigama lelinye lamaqembu e-Kremlin anekhono kakhulu futhi elisike ukugebenga. I-Sandworm isetshenziswe i-Industroyer ngo-December 2016 ukuze kubangele ukuphela kukagesi eKyiv, e-Ukraine, okwashiya ingxenye enkulu yedolobha ingenawo amandla ihora. Lokhu kuhlasela kwenzeke esikhathini esingangonyaka ngemva kokuba omunye wangaphambili ephazamise amandla kubantu base-Ukraine abangu-225,000 amahora ayisithupha. Industroyer2 kwavela ukukhanya ngonyaka odlule futhi kukholakala ukuthi isetshenziswe ekuhlaselweni kwesithathu kwamagridi kagesi e-Ukraine, kodwa yatholwa yamiswa ngaphambi kokuba iphumelele.
Lokhu kuhlasela kubonise ukuba sengozini kwengqalasizinda yamandla kagesi kanye nekhono elikhulayo laseRussia lokuwaxhaphaza. Ukuhlasela kwango-2015 kwasebenzisa uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha olwaziwa ngeBlackEnergy. Nakuba umphumela we-BlackEnergy3 uvumele i-Sandworm ukuthi ingene ngempumelelo kunethiwekhi yezinkampani zezinkampani eziphehla amandla zase-Ukraine futhi iphinde ingene ezindleleni zazo zokulawula nokutholwa kwedatha, uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha lwalungenayo indlela yokuxhumana nobuchwepheshe bokusebenza, noma i-OT, igiya ngokuqondile.
Ukuhlasela kuka-2016 bekuyinkimbinkimbi kakhulu. Isebenzise i-Industroyer, ucezu lohlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha olubhalwe kusukela ekuqaleni oluklanyelwe ukugqekeza amasistimu egridi kagesi. I-Industroyer ibiphawuleka ngokulawula kwayo izinqubo zezimboni ze-arcane ezisetshenziswa opharetha begridi base-Ukraine. I-Industroyer ixhumene nalawo masistimu ukuwayala ukuthi akhiphe amandla bese enika kabusha amandla olayini besiteshi esincane. Njengoba intatheli ye-WIRED u-Andy Greenberg kubika:
I-Industroyer ikwazile ukuthumela imiyalo kuma-breaker breaker isebenzisa noma yiziphi izimiso zesistimu yokulawula izimboni ezine, futhi yavumela izingxenye zemodular zekhodi zalezo zivumelwano ukuthi zishintshwe ukuze uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha lusatshalaliswe ukuze luqondise izinsiza ezahlukene. Uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha luphinde lufake nengxenye yokukhubaza izinto zokuphepha ezaziwa ngokuthi ama-protectory relay—ezinqamula ngokuzenzakalelayo ukugeleza kwamandla uma zithola izimo zikagesi eziyingozi—isici esivele siklanyelwe ukubangela umonakalo ongaba yinhlekelele emshinini wesiteshi esiqondiwe sokudlulisa lapho opharetha base-Ukrenergo. vula amandla futhi.
I-Industroyer2 iqukethe izibuyekezo ze-Industroyer. Nakuba ekugcineni kwehluleka, ukusetshenziswa kwayo emzamweni wesithathu wokuhlasela kubonise ukuthi izifiso ze-Kremlin zokugebenga ingqalasizinda yamandla kagesi wase-Ukraine zihlale ziseqhulwini.
Uma kubhekwa umlando, ukutholwa kohlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha olusha oludizayinelwe ukubangela ukuphazamiseka kwamandla okusabalele kuyakhathaza futhi kuyathakazelisa kubantu abathweswe icala lokuvikela amagridi. Ukukhathazeka kuphinde kuhlanganiswe lapho uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha lunobudlelwano obungaba khona ne-Kremlin.
Abacwaningi baseMandiant, inkampani yezokuphepha eyathola i-CosmicEnergy, babhale:
I-COSMICENERGY isibonelo sakamuva sohlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha olukhethekile lwe-OT olukwazi ukubangela imithelela engokomzimba ku-inthanethi, engavamile ukutholwa noma idalulwe. Okwenza i-COSMICENERGY ihluke ukuthi ngokusekelwe ekuhlaziyeni kwethu, usonkontileka kungenzeka uyithuthukise njengethuluzi elibomvu lethimba lezenzo zokuphazamiseka kwamandla okulingiswa okusingathwa yi-Rostelecom-Solar, inkampani yezokuphepha ku-inthanethi yaseRussia. Ukuhlaziywa kohlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha kanye nokusebenza kwayo kuveza ukuthi amandla ayo afana nalawo asetshenziswe ezigamekweni zangaphambilini nohlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha, njenge INDUSTROYER futhi INDUSTROYER.V2okubili okuhlukile kohlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha okwasetshenziswa esikhathini esidlule ukuze kube nomthelela ekudlulisweni nokusabalalisa kukagesi nge-IEC-104.
Ukutholwa kwe-COSMICENERGY kukhombisa ukuthi izithiyo zokungena ukuze kuthuthukiswe amakhono e-OT acasulayo ziyehla njengoba abadlali bekhulisa ulwazi ekuhlaselweni kwangaphambili ukuze bakhe uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha olusha. Uma kucatshangelwa ukuthi abalingisi abasabisayo basebenzisa amathuluzi eqembu elibomvu kanye nezinhlaka zokuxhashazwa komphakathi zomsebenzi wosongo ohlosiwe endle, sikholelwa ukuthi i-COSMICENERGY ibeka usongo olubonakalayo ezimpahleni zegridi kagesi ezithintekayo. Abanikazi bempahla be-OT abasebenzisa amadivayisi athobela i-IEC-104 kufanele bathathe isinyathelo ukuze bahlole amandla ekusatshalalisweni okusendle kwe-COSMICENERGY.
Njengamanje, isixhumanisi sisezintweni futhi sikhawulelwe ngokuyinhloko emazwaneni atholakala kukhodi aphakamisa ukuthi asebenze nesofthiwe eyenzelwe izivivinyo zokuqeqesha ezixhaswe yi-Kremlin. Ngokuvumelana nombono wokuthi i-CosmicEnergy isetshenziswa kulokho okubizwa ngokuthi i-Red Team yokuzilolonga elingisa ukugebenga okunonya, uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha alinawo amandla okungena kunethiwekhi ukuze kutholwe ulwazi lwendawo okungadingeka ukuze luqalise ukuhlasela. Uhlelo olungayilungele ikhompuyutha luhlanganisa amakheli ezinto zolwazi oluqinile ngokuvamile ahlotshaniswa nokushintshwa kwezintambo zamandla noma izinqamuli zesekethe, kodwa lokho kuhlelwa kufanele kwenziwe ngendlela oyifisayo ukuze kuhlaselwe okuthile njengoba ehluka kumkhiqizi kuya komkhiqizi.
“Ngenxa yalesi sizathu, izenzo ezithile ezihloswe umlingisi azicacile ngaphandle kolwazi olwengeziwe mayelana nezimpahla ezihlosiwe,” kubhala abacwaningi baseMandiant.
