And that's why people moan about SCADA systems being vulnerable, and why its probably not wise to expose them to the internet.
They are designed by people that are engineers in the more traditional sense, not software people. Its gets developed to the point where it just about works as a sort of permanent proof on concept in most cases.
The environment it is installed in is also unsafe, inhospitable, built to grandparents safety specifications, and been modified and bodged for years. Often using second hand equipment doing a job it was never meant to do when it was designed.
Never actually broke any of these personally, but had to work around some, and attempt implementations of new stuff while trying not to disturb the existing rusting dystopia that my solutions had to work in.
I think the guy in the article got of quite lightly.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
