Cyberattacks target water systems in at least 12 states: report
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At least a dozen states are reportedly responding to cyberattacks against local water systems.
Why it matters: This appears to be one of the broadest known coordinated cyber campaigns against U.S. municipal water systems to date, validating years of warnings that poorly secured utilities could become attractive targets.
Driving the news: Hackers have targeted water and wastewater utilities in at least 12 states, ABC News reported on Tuesday.
- Last week, the FBI said that at least seven states had experienced cyberattacks targeting the systems that control pumps, water pressure and valves in plants.
- Multiple news outlets have reported that officials suspect Iran is behind the widespread attacks, although President Trump said Friday he doesn't "think there was an Iranian cyberattack."
- Some of these incidents have resulted in degraded water operations, per the FBI, including "loss of pressure and flooding."
Yes, but: So far, the drinking water in these regions remains safe.
- Some jurisdictions have fallen back to manual operations and have issued precautionary boil-water notices due to pressure losses, according to CISA.
The big picture: Lawmakers and national security officials have warned for years that many U.S. water utilities lack the funding and personnel needed to secure critical infrastructure.
- Unlike electric utilities and many other critical infrastructure sectors, most water utilities are run by local governments, meaning cybersecurity competes for funding with schools, transportation and other local priorities.
Zoom in: In these cases, many of the devices that hackers targeted aren't supposed to connect to the internet.
- However, many of them actually were, providing an opening for hackers to break in, change the passwords, and lock out employees trying to monitor and control the functionality of these programs, per the FBI.
- In Minnesota, hackers targeted more than 30 water systems during a coordinated attack.
What to watch: A band of volunteer hackers has been teaming up with local water utilities over the last two years to beef up their security protocols.
Go deeper: Protecting water from cyberattacks
