Belgium nuclear plants in danger of cyber attack: EU official
A top European official has warned of a possible cyber attack on Belgium's nuclear power plants and other major infrastructure, following the recent deadly bombings in the country’s capital Brussels.
The European Union's counter-terror chief, Gilles de Kerchove, issued the warning in an interview with daily La Libre Belgique, which was published on Saturday, saying it is not surprising if there would be “an attempt in the next five years to use the Internet to commit an attack.”
He added that the attackers would try to get access to Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), which is “the nerve center of a nuclear power plant, a dam, air traffic control center or railroad switching station.”
The northwest European country, which is home to several of the EU's official seats as well as major international organizations such as the NATO, on Tuesday saw bombings at Brussels Airport and aboard a metro train that killed 31 people.
An unnamed police source told Dernier Heure newspaper that the bombers in Brussels attacks were originally considering to hit nuclear power stations, but the earlier arrest of the prime suspect in the 2015 Paris attacks may have forced them to change plans.
"Even if one couldn't prevent these attacks, one can say that their magnitude could have been much bigger if the terrorists had been able to implement their original plan and not opted for easier targets."
The report said brothers Khalid and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, who blew themselves up in the Brussels blasts, had secretly planted cameras to film the daily routine of Belgium's nuclear program chief.
The 10-hour video from a camera hidden in front of the nuclear official's house was found in December during a police raid in the apartment of a suspect linked to the Brussels and Paris attacks.
The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group claimed the responsibility for the Brussels attacks.
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