Software Bug Contributed to Blackout

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 16:24:14 -0800
From: Kevin Poulsen <klp () securityfocus com>
Subject: Software Bug Contributed to Blackout
To: dave () farber net

Hi Dave. For IP, if you like.

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Software Bug Contributed to Blackout

A previously-unknown software flaw in a widely-deployed General Electric
energy management system contributed to the devastating scope of the
August 14th northeastern U.S. blackout, industry officials revealed this
week.

The bug in GE Energy's XA/21 system was discovered in an intensive code
audit conducted by GE and a contractor in the weeks following the
blackout, according to FirstEnergy Corp., the Ohio utility where
investigators say the blackout began. "It had never evidenced itself
until that day," said spokesman Ralph DiNicola. "This fault was so
deeply embedded, it took them weeks of pouring through millions of lines
of code and data to find it."

http://www.securityfocus.com/news/8016

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