Cyberattack on water systems in multiple states has US officials on edge
2 hours ago
- Hackers have launched a coordinated cyberattack on water systems in multiple US states, causing boil-water notices and some utilities to switch to manual mode.
- The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), FBI, and EPA are working to secure water facilities, with no contamination reported.
- Hackers are targeting internet-facing programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in water systems, exploiting weak configurations.
- Minnesota was first to report attacks on about 30 water systems, with aim to cause loss of system pressure and potential contamination.
- Iran is suspected but not formally blamed; President Trump downplayed Iran's involvement.
- At least six states have reported related cyber incidents in the past week, including Wisconsin detecting malicious activity on Monday.
- Experts warn that water utilities lack fundamental cybersecurity controls, and the scale and coordination of attacks is unprecedented.
- Iran has a history of hacking US water systems, with previous incidents linked to Iran-linked hackers in 2020.