Artem Voloskovets
⬤ CISA officially added CVE-2021-26829 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list after the flaw was exploited in a real-world attack scenario. The vulnerability affects OpenPLC ScadaBR systems and was used to breach a simulated industrial water-plant environment, demonstrating significant operational-technology risks.
⬤ Hackers exploited CVE-2021-26829 to deface the mock facility in under 26 hours. They disabled logs and alarms during the intrusion, effectively blinding the system's visibility and alerting functions. This showed how SCADA software weaknesses can be weaponized to interfere with critical monitoring capabilities when proper protections aren't in place.
⬤ While the compromised target was a simulated water-plant system, the rapid exploitation timeline reveals how quickly exposed configurations can fall to attackers. The flaw allowed threat actors to alter system behavior and disrupt supervisory functions, highlighting practical dangers in industrial-control environments.
⬤ CISA's decision to include CVE-2021-26829 in its KEV list reflects growing concerns about industrial-control system vulnerabilities. The incident reinforces the importance of consistent patching across SCADA environments and serves as a wake-up call about risks from outdated or poorly monitored control-system components.
Artem Voloskovets
