September 16, 2008

Hadron Hacked

Last week when the CERN particle accelerator based in Geneva, Switzerland was switched on, many people believed that it could herald the end of the world, yet the whole process came and went with not so much as flashing red light.

However, something more serious and potentially dangerous has happened in the mean time. Hackers known as Group 2600 of the Greek Security Team managed to get into one of the key systems, which are responsible for monitoring the particle collisions, the Compact Muon Solenoid detector.

Although no damage had been done, this highlights the weaknesses of systems like this, surely, when there is technology and essential systems running, the security should be at its highest. Yet this happened at CERN a project that has so far cost £3 billion.

Source [Wired]