Logic bomb
Encyclopedia
A logic bomb is a piece of code
intentionally inserted into a software system that will set off a malicious function when specified conditions are met. For example, a programmer may hide a piece of code that starts deleting files
(such as a salary
database trigger
), should they ever be terminated from the company.
Software that is inherently malicious, such as viruses
and worms
, often contain logic bombs that execute a certain payload
at a pre-defined time or when some other condition is met. This technique can be used by a virus or worm to gain momentum and spread before being noticed. Many viruses attack their host systems on specific dates, such as Friday the 13th
or April Fool's Day. Trojans that activate on certain dates are often called "time bombs".
To be considered a logic bomb, the payload should be unwanted and unknown to the user of the software. As an example, trial programs with code that disables certain functionality after a set time are not normally regarded as logic bombs.
occurred because of a logic bomb. (It has later been reported that this story may be a hoax). A KGB
operative was purported to have stolen the plans for a sophisticated control system and its software from a Canadian firm, for use on their Siberian pipeline. The CIA
was supposedly tipped off by documents in the Farewell Dossier
and had the company insert a logic bomb in the program for sabotage
purposes. This eventually resulted in "the most monumental non-nuclear explosion and the first fire ever seen from space".
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
intentionally inserted into a software system that will set off a malicious function when specified conditions are met. For example, a programmer may hide a piece of code that starts deleting files
Computer file
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
(such as a salary
Salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
database trigger
Database trigger
A database trigger is procedural code that is automatically executed in response to certain events on a particular table or view in a database. The trigger is mostly used for keeping the integrity of the information on the database...
), should they ever be terminated from the company.
Software that is inherently malicious, such as viruses
Computer virus
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability...
and worms
Computer worm
A computer worm is a self-replicating malware computer program, which uses a computer network to send copies of itself to other nodes and it may do so without any user intervention. This is due to security shortcomings on the target computer. Unlike a computer virus, it does not need to attach...
, often contain logic bombs that execute a certain payload
Payload (software)
Payload in computing is the cargo of a data transmission. It is the part of the transmitted data which is the fundamental purpose of the transmission, to the exclusion of information sent with it solely to facilitate delivery.In computer security, payload refers to the...
at a pre-defined time or when some other condition is met. This technique can be used by a virus or worm to gain momentum and spread before being noticed. Many viruses attack their host systems on specific dates, such as Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
or April Fool's Day. Trojans that activate on certain dates are often called "time bombs".
To be considered a logic bomb, the payload should be unwanted and unknown to the user of the software. As an example, trial programs with code that disables certain functionality after a set time are not normally regarded as logic bombs.
Supposed logic bombing of the Trans-Siberian Pipeline
It has been reported that in 1982 the Trans-Siberian Pipeline incidentSiberian pipeline sabotage
The Siberian pipeline sabotage refers to the alleged 1982 sabotage of the Soviet Urengoy–Surgut–Chelyabinsk natural gas pipeline by the CIA as a part of a policy to counter Soviet theft of American technology.- Background :...
occurred because of a logic bomb. (It has later been reported that this story may be a hoax). A KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
operative was purported to have stolen the plans for a sophisticated control system and its software from a Canadian firm, for use on their Siberian pipeline. The CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
was supposedly tipped off by documents in the Farewell Dossier
Farewell Dossier
The Farewell dossier was the collection of documents that Colonel Vladimir Vetrov, a KGB defector , gathered and gave to the French DST in 1981–82, during the Cold War....
and had the company insert a logic bomb in the program for sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
purposes. This eventually resulted in "the most monumental non-nuclear explosion and the first fire ever seen from space".
Attempted logic bombs
- In February 2000, Tony Xiaotong, indicted before a grand juryGrand juryA grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
, was accused of planting a logic bomb during his employment as a programmer and securities trader at Deutsche Morgan GrenfellMorgan, Grenfell & Co.Morgan, Grenfell & Co. was a leading London-based investment bank regarded as one of the oldest and once most influential British merchant banks.-History:...
. The bomb, planted in 1996, had a trigger date of July 20, 2000, but was discovered by other programmers in the company. Removing and cleaning up after the bomb allegedly took several months. - On October 2, 2003 Yung-Hsun Lin, also known as Andy Lin, changed code on a server at Medco Health SolutionsMedco Health SolutionsMedco Health Solutions, Inc is a health care company currently serving the needs of more than 65 million people. Medco provides pharmacy services for private and public employers, health plans, labor unions, government agencies, and individuals served by Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans...
Inc. Fair Lawn, New JerseyFair Lawn, New JerseyFair Lawn is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and a suburban municipality in the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 32,457. Fair Lawn was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March...
headquarters, where he was employed as a Unix administrator, creating a logic bomb set to go off on his birthday in 2004. It failed to work due to a programming error, so Lin corrected the error and reset it to go off on his next birthday, but it was discovered and disabled by a Medco computer systems administrator a few months before the trigger date. Lin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months in jail in a federal prison in addition to $81,200 in restitution. The charges held a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of US$250,000. - In June 2006 Roger Duronio, a disgruntled system administratorSystem administratorA system administrator, IT systems administrator, systems administrator, or sysadmin is a person employed to maintain and operate a computer system and/or network...
for UBSUBS AGUBS AG is a Swiss global financial services company headquartered in Basel and Zürich, Switzerland, which provides investment banking, asset management, and wealth management services for private, corporate, and institutional clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland...
, was charged with using a logic bomb to damage the company's computer network, and with securities fraud for his failed plan to drive down the company's stock with activation of the logic bomb. Duronio was later convicted and sentenced to 8 years and 1 month in prison, as well as a $3.1 million restitution to UBS. - On 29 October, 2008 a logic bomb was discovered at American mortgage giant Fannie Mae. The bomb was allegedly planted by Rajendrasinh Babubhai Makwana, an Indian citizen and IT contractor who worked in Fannie Mae's Urbana, MarylandUrbana, MarylandUrbana is an unincorporated community located in southern Frederick County, Maryland. It lies at the I-270/MD 80 interchange, about southeast of Frederick.-History:The Urbana area was first settled in 1730....
facility. The bomb was set to activate on 31 January, 2009 and could have wiped all of Fannie Mae's 4000 servers. Makwana had been terminated around 1:00pm on 24 October, 2008 and managed to plant the bomb before his network access was revoked. Makwana was indicted in a Maryland court on 27 January, 2009 for unauthorized computer access. - In October 2009, Douglas Duchak was terminated from his job as data analyst at the TSA’s Colorado Springs Operations Center (CSOC). Surveillance cameras captured images of Duchak entering the facility after hours loading a logic bomb onto a CSOC server that stored data from the U.S. Marshals. In January 2011, Duchak was sentenced to two years prison, $60,587 in fines, and three years probation. At his sentencing, Duchak tearfully apologized as his lawyer noted that at the time of the incident, Duchak's wife was pregnant with their second child. The judge at the sentencing mentioned that this logic bomb planting "incident was an anomaly in an otherwise untarnished work history."
Fictional logic bombs
- In "Moffett's Ghost," an episode of the AirwolfAirwolfAirwolf is an American television series that ran from 1984 until 1987. The program centers on a high-tech military helicopter, code named Airwolf, and its crew as they undertake various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme....
television series, Hawk loses control of the onboard computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
, which was programmed on a timer by Airwolf's creator, Doctor Charles Henry MoffettDoctor Charles Henry MoffettDr. Charles Henry Moffet is a fictional character in the TV series Airwolf. He was played by actor David Hemmings.Moffet is a British scientist working for the American government He is a genius, but also a sociopath...
... once activated, AirwolfAirwolf (helicopter)Airwolf is the helicopter from the 1980s American television series of the same name. The aircraft itself was a modified Bell 222 twin-engined light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter and owned by JetCopters Inc.-Bell 222:...
is set to destroy any aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
in its range. - In Michael Crichton's book Jurassic Park, computer technician Dennis Nedry inserted an object into the mainframe coding for the park that would shut off the entire island's power (including the supply to the electric fences) in order to steal several dinosaur embryos in the chaos. The logic bomb object was named "White Rabbit."
- The Tom ClancyTom ClancyThomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
book Debt of HonorDebt of HonorDebt of Honor is a novel by Tom Clancy. It is a continuation of the series featuring his character Jack Ryan. In this installment, Ryan has become the National Security Advisor when the Japanese government goes to war with the United States...
features a logic bomb installed in the code of various stock marketStock marketA stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
computers. - Hugh JackmanHugh JackmanHugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor and producer who is involved in film, musical theatre, and television.Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as action/superhero, period and romance characters...
's character in SwordfishSwordfish (film)Swordfish is a 2001 crime-thriller film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones. The film is an action thriller that was also notable for Halle Berry's first topless scene...
, Stanley Jobson, claims to have "dropped a logic bomb through the trapdoor" while hacking into a Department of DefenseUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
network. - In the episode "ScatteredScattered (Battlestar Galactica)"Scattered" is the first episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on July 15, 2005....
" of the 2004 re-imagining of Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
, the Cylons leave a logic bomb in the ship's computers after briefly gaining access to them. It later causes a series of nearly catastrophic system malfunctions. - In the CIA level of Tom Clancy's Splinter CellSplinter CellTom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a series of stealth video games, the first of which was released in 2002, and their tie-in novels. The protagonist, Sam Fisher, is presented as a highly-trained agent of a fictional black-ops sub-division within the NSA, dubbed "Third Echelon"...
, a PC and console videogame, a conversation can be heard with a reference to a logic bomb. - In the PC strategy game Empire EarthEmpire EarthEmpire Earth, also known as EE, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Stainless Steel Studios and released on November 23, 2001. It is the first game in the Empire Earth series...
, the Japanese special unit, the Cyber Ninja, has an attack called "Logic Bomb". This bears little resemblance to a real logic bomb, instead simply disabling an enemy building for a brief period. - In Season 3 of 2424 (TV series)24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, Nina MyersNina MyersNina Myers is a fictional character on the television series, 24, played by Sarah Clarke. Nina was second-in-command of the Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit during the first season of the show.-Characterization:...
manipulates Jack BauerJack BauerJack Bauer is the main protagonist of the American television series 24. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a member of the fictional Counter Terrorist Unit based in Los Angeles, and working with the FBI in Washington, D.C...
to unknowingly activate a virus in the CTU computer systems. It is activated by a phone call to a certain number. - In Series 6, Episode 8 of SpooksSpooksSpooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
the Yalta organization sets off a logic bomb planted within the American defense network to shutdown all US controlled satellites. It is activated by the entry of a code into a game which causes the logic bomb to copy a virus to all the satellites and shut them down. - In season 6, episode 2 of NCISNCIS (TV series)NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
AbbyAbby SciutoAbigail "Abby" Sciuto is a fictional character from the NCIS television series by CBS Television, and is portrayed by Pauley Perrette. Like Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo and Donald Mallard, Abby was first introduced in the episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" in the television show JAG, and has...
and McGeeTimothy McGeeTimothy "Tim" McGee is a fictional character from the CBS television series NCIS. He is portrayed by Sean Murray. Timothy McGee is a special agent investigating crime in this police procedural show...
have a conversation about logic that gives them the idea of using a logic bomb to hack into computers on a US Naval Carrier to access certain files. No details of the bomb itself are seen on screen or discussed at all.