Attacks on Water Systems Could Disrupt Services for Consumers, First Responders and the Military
- Federal investigators are probing whether Iranian hackers caused malicious cyber activity affecting water systems in Minnesota and several other states last week.
- The FBI reported that the cyber activity forced some utilities to switch to manual operations, prompting investigators to examine potential foreign involvement in targeting critical infrastructure.
- Mike Turner of Ohio said that critical infrastructure assets "need to be hardened," while noting Congress has not been informed about the incidents.
- President Trump dismissed the possibility of Iranian involvement, pointing without evidence to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and calling the state's leadership "grossly incompetent."
- Adversaries including Russia, China, and North Korea view civilian infrastructure as valid military targets, Turner warned, adding, "We're certainly in a conflict where we would expect that they would continue that.
43 Articles
43 Articles
What we know about the cyberattacks on water systems in 7 states
According to the FBI, at least seven states have now been targeted in a growing wave of cyberattacks on critical water infrastructure across the country. Federal officials now reportedly believe Iran is the likely culprit. Liz Landers discussed more with Cynthia Kaiser, a former deputy assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division currently at Halcyon.
New York awards $9M to protect water systems after cyberattacks in other states
The exterior of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is seen in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. The funding comes after hackers targeted water utilities in Minnesota and Michigan, raising concerns about critical infrastructure. [ more › ]
America Is Not Prepared for a War on Our Water
It sounds like the stuff of a summer thriller.Using cyber tools, one of our adversaries, maybe Iran, maybe North Korea, or possibly, a criminal enterprise, takes over the operations of a drinking water utility. The amount of purifying chemicals applied by automation is significantly increased or completely stopped. Before the change is caught, a dozen people in the area get sick. It is barely a news story outside of the community. Negligence, no…
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