Recently, the UK Nuclear Regulatory Office filed a lawsuit against Serafield Limited under the 2003 Nuclear Industry Safety Regulations, accusing it of suspected information technology security violations. The office pointed out that there have been cybersecurity management issues at the Sellafield nuclear waste site for many years, which could lead to catastrophic consequences. At the sentencing hearing held in London, UK, the operator of the Sellafield nuclear waste site, Sellafield Limited, admitted that its network system posed significant security risks.

The Sellafield nuclear waste site in the UK is the largest nuclear waste storage facility in Europe, located in Cumbria, northwest England. It covers an area of 6 square kilometers and hasone thousandMultiple nuclear facilities, one of the largest in Europe and the most dangerous in the world. In recent years, there have been multiple incidents of radioactive waste leakage at the nuclear waste site.

Serafield Site

What has attracted more attention recently is that,Serafield Nuclear Waste SiteofNetwork systemalsoThere are significant security risks,veryEasy to be attacked by hackers, which may lead to sensitive information leakage and significant security risks at nuclear waste sites.staytwo thousand and nineteenYear to Yeartwo thousand and twenty-threeIn the investigation of the year, the UK Office of Nuclear Regulation discovered that the Sellafield nuclear waste site3/4The server is highly vulnerable to attacks. This means that hackers or malicious insiders may exploit these vulnerabilities and cause serious damage to the facilities. Serafield Limited did not conduct an annual network system health check on the Serafield nuclear waste site in accordance with the safety plan approved by regulatory authorities. This leads to a large number of systems being in an outdated state for a long time, unable to promptly fix known vulnerabilities or resist new types of network attacks.

stayhearingUp,Proxy lawyer for the Office of Nuclear RegulationexpressA test found that malicious files can be downloaded and executed to Serafield through phishing attacksITThe internet, and“Will not trigger any alarms”.andDue to the use ofWindows 7etc.Outdated systemThe sensitive nuclear information of the special classification system in this industry（SNI）Partially exposed.Serafield ExternalITThe company's report also states that any“Skilled hackers or malicious insiders”Sensitive data can be accessed and malicious computer code can be implanted, which can be used to steal information. The court also learned that a subcontractor mistakenly receivedfour thousandA file, among whichthirteenOne is classified as“official/sensitive”The file did not trigger any alerts.

The problems in network security management at the Sellafield nuclear waste site may not only lead to the leakage of sensitive information, but also pose a significant threat to the physical security of the site. However, due to the ineffective implementation of security plans, these issues have not been effectively resolved for a long time, further exacerbating potential security risks.In addition,The operational risks of the Sellafield nuclear waste site have even affected the relationship between the UK and neighboring countries. For example, Norway issued a warning，The accident at the Sellafield nuclear waste site may have caused radioactive particles to be transported across the North Sea by southwest winds，Causing catastrophic consequences to Norwegian food production and wildlife.

At present, the company has stated that it is attempting to extract nuclear waste to minimize the risk of leakage and plans to make significant improvements to its systems, networks, and structures to ensure greater resilience and better protection of nuclear waste. However, these measures may need to last for many years.