america’s water systems have come under attack amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Reports of coordinated cyber attacks on drinking water and water plants of at least seven states, including Minnesota, have emerged, raising new concerns about the security of public services.
Amid the ongoing tension between America and Iran, reports of coordinated cyber attacks on American water plants have emerged. Minnesota has confirmed that at least 30 municipal water systems in the state were hit by a coordinated cyberattack. The FBI issued a warning after reporting in late July that malicious cyber actors had breached drinking water and wastewater systems in at least seven US states.
Following the report, several states, including Georgia, New Jersey and South Dakota, have reported similar cyber incidents. However, it is not yet clear whether these attacks are part of the attacks in the seven states identified by the FBI. The Trump administration has previously blamed cyberattacks on hackers linked to Iran, but no one has yet been formally held responsible.
Structure of the US water system
According to government data, there are approximately 152,000 public drinking water systems and more than 16,000 wastewater treatment facilities in the US. Most municipalities draw water from lakes, rivers or groundwater sources. It is sent through electric pumps through pipelines to the treatment plant, where the dirt is filtered and disinfected. The water is then sent to storage tanks and then distributed to homes, businesses and public utilities.
How are hackers targeting water systems?
Cybercriminals are targeting Internet-facing programmable logic controllers (PLCs). These devices control and monitor critical industrial processes such as water pressure and chemical dosing, ensuring the safety of drinking water supplies. According to William Akoto, global security assistant professor at American University, attackers scan the Internet addresses of controllers and external companies to gain remote access services. After this, they login with the default or stolen password and change the password or take advantage of the system by issuing commands.
Is Iran responsible?
According to CBS News report, US officials are investigating whether these cyber attacks are linked to Iranian hackers or not. At a Cabinet meeting last week, President Donald Trump accused Minnesota officials of irresponsible behavior that made the hack possible. He said they say, oh, it’s Iran. Iran will have to be very lucky. Iran has bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota. However, till now there has been no report of any kind of pollution or deterioration in water quality in the water system. Nevertheless, manual intervention was required at many places and boiling water was advised as a precaution.
