ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - 28

SOLVING PROBLEMS

Building Automation Systems

Addressing the
Cybersecurity Threat
BY MARY KATE MCGOWAN, ASSOCIATE EDITOR, NEWS

An attack on a building automation system in two apartment buildings in Finland left
residents in the cold during the winter of 2016. A distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS)
attack hit the Domain Name System service and disabled remote connection access
forcing building management to inspect the homes on-site. The automation system
that controlled the homes' heating, hot water and ventilation systems continuously
rebooted, until the system stopped working entirely. 
By disconnecting the system from the Internet, the
problem was resolved in about an hour. While the
building automation system attack did not cause lasting
or life-altering damage, the lack of awareness of building automation system security can result in damage
to a facility and its occupants, said Levi Tully, Member
ASHRAE.
"The most severe data breach in a traditional organization is unlikely to have direct physical impact on the
occupants of the building. But a malicious attack on a
building automation system can very easily pose a significant threat to the health and welfare of people," he
said. "The biggest threat is that no one appreciates the
risk of building automation cybersecurity."
As unprotected building automation systems can
quickly become high-risk with potential life damage to
a building and its occupants, securing these systems is
becoming a necessity. Some places and applications are
even requiring security protection, said Bernhard Isler,
Member ASHRAE, a former chair of the standard committee for ASHRAE Standard 135-2016, BACnet-A Data
Communication Protocol for Building Automation and
28

ASHRAE JOURNAL

ashrae.org

J U LY 2 0 19

Control Networks.
"Building automation systems are part of the infrastructure of buildings, and malicious users that get
access to the building automation system's communication may interfere with the system and produce
unwanted behavior or damage to HVAC and other
equipment, or life-safety threats even," said Isler, a
senior systems architect for Siemens Switzerland, Ltd.

Common Mistakes
People who, intentionally or by accident, change a
device's configuration or control parameters are the
principal security threats to BACnet systems.
Unauthorized access to a building control system and
its data could be used to:
* Exploit operating information such as occupancy
schedules;
* Cause tenant discomfort;
* Interrupt facility operations; and
* Contribute to equipment or facility damage.
These could interrupt mission readiness, cause financial loss, environmental destruction and potentially risk


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ASHRAE Journal - July 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - July 2019

Contents
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - Intro
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - Cover1
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - Cover2
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - 1
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - Contents
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - 3
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - 4
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ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - Cover3
ASHRAE Journal - July 2019 - Cover4
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