Ask Slashdot: How Best To Disconnect Remote Network Access? 284
An anonymous reader writes "Is there a device to automatically disconnect network or otherwise time limit a physical connection to a network? The why? We are dealing with a production outage of large industrial equipment. The cause? The supplier, with no notice, remotely connected to the process control system and completely botched an update to their system. We are down and the vendor is inept and not likely to have us back to 100% for a few days. Obviously the main issue is that they were able to do this at all, but reality is that IT gets overridden by the Process Control department in a manufacturing business. They were warned about this and told it was a horrible idea to allow remote access all the time. They were warned many times to leave the equipment disconnected from remote access except when they were actively working with the supplier. Either they forgot to disconnect it or they ignored our warnings. The question is, is there a device that will physically disconnect a network connection after a set time? Yes, we could use a Christmas tree light timer hooked up to a switch or something like that but I want something more elegant. Something with two network jacks on it that disconnects the port after a set time, or even something IT would have to login to and enable the connection and set a disconnect timer would be better than nothing. As we know, process control workers and vendors are woefully inept/uneducated about IT systems and risks and repeatedly make blunders like connecting process control systems directly to the internet, use stock passwords for everything, don't install antivirus on windows based control computers, etc. How do others deal with controlling remote access to industrial systems?"
Re:Short answer? Yes. (Score:0, Funny)
All I am asking is for you to either affirm or deny it: you're a Cheetohs-stained mama's boy who's not been out of the basement since 1997, aren't you?
Re:DIY (Score:4, Funny)
You could also do it in Visual Basic, with the added advantage that you could create a GUI to trace their IP address.
Re:Use a pair of diagonal cutters. (Score:4, Funny)
Parent did mention putting the USB stick in a person. That sounds both painful and inconvenient.