Hackers targeted municipal water systems in 7 states this week, FBI says
The FBI said the campaign disabled digital controls and in some cases triggered boil-water notices, with Iranian-affiliated hackers the leading suspect.
- The FBI warned on Friday that cyberattacks have compromised water utilities across seven states, with more than 30 facilities hit in Minnesota alone. This campaign represents the broadest, most disruptive attack on American industrial control systems to date.
- A leaked memo obtained by WIRED this week tied the attacks to Iranian-affiliated hackers, confirming an earlier CISA advisory from April. This documentation marks the first official link connecting the Minnesota incidents to a broader industrial control systems campaign.
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency stated the attacks disabled digital controls and "resulted in boil-water notices." The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency urged utilities to immediately remove internet-exposed programmable logic controllers and implement allow-lists for authorized devices.
- President Donald Trump blamed Minnesota Democratic governor Tim Walz's administration for the security failures on Friday. This partisan response recalled his past denials of foreign hacking, even after intelligence agencies attributed other intrusions to foreign actors.
- Federal agencies including the FBI and Environmental Protection Agency are working with affected utilities to remediate the breaches. These incidents expose the vulnerability of industrial control systems that connect digital software with physical equipment in critical infrastructure.
198 Articles
198 Articles
West Virginia officials discuss strengthening water cybersecurity amid federal warning
Federal officials are urging water utilities across the country to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses as cyber threats continue targeting drinking water and wastewater systems. That conversation took center stage Thursday during a cybersecurity and water infrastructure session hosted by the West Virginia Municipal League in Charleston, bringing together municipal leaders and water officials to discuss protecting critical infrastructure.
The water sector just got it's wake-up call. Again.
Last week, the FBI and EPA issued a joint alert that should concern anyone who drinks water in America–which is to say, everyone. Since July 27, water and wastewater utilities in at least seven states have reported cyberattacks against internet-facing programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the small industrial computers that run pumps, valves, and treatment equipment. Some of these attacks degraded operations. Utilities reported pressure loss an…
Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Follow Years of Warnings and Neglect
WASHINGTON — In 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration proposed creating stronger cybersecurity guidelines to better safeguard the nation’s water supply from hackers.
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