All of the vulnerabilities disclosed by Auriemma exist in the so-called Human Machine Interface (HMI) systems used to manage industrial control systems, said Joseph Weiss, managing partner at Applied Control Systems LLC and author of the book Protecting Industrial Control Systems from Electronic Threat.

"Vulnerabilities in HMI systems are not novel," but they should not be minimized, he said. Such vulnerabilities can be used to get at the downstream control system, he said.

"You can use the HMI to get to the control device and you can use the control device to get to the HMI," he said. Without further analysis, it is too soon to say whether the flaws discovered by Auriemma are really critical or not, he said. A lot depends on the kind of applications for which the affected systems are used, he said.

"Rockwell is a major manufacturer. They make a lot of systems, some of which are used in really critical applications," he added.

A spokesman from Rockwell said the company would release a statement soon.