With Russia Targeting West, U.S. Water Systems On High Alert
With a geopolitical crisis playing out thousands of miles away, the drinking water sector in the U.S. has doubled its resolve against potential attacks against their digital systems.
Posts
Cyberattack on Bay Area Water Supply: ‘No Specific Threat to Public Safety’
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/Cyberattack-on-Bay-Area-water-supply-No-16256688.phpby Nora MishanecA hacker accessed the computer system of a Bay Area water treatment plant in January and deleted programs the plant used to treat drinking water, a senior intelligence official confirmed Thursday.
MWD Among Targets in Large-Scale Cyber-Espionage Hack Blamed on China
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Los Angeles Times by Alan Suderman / Associated PressA cyber-espionage campaign blamed on China was more sweeping than previously known, with suspected state-backed hackers exploiting a device meant to boost internet security to penetrate the computers of critical U.S. entities.
Among the suspected targets was the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides water to 19 million people and operates some of the largest treatment plants in the world.
Colonial Hack Reveals Major Threats to Water Sector
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /E&E Newsby Hannah NortheyWhen hackers penetrated a small water utility in North Carolina three years ago that debilitated its IT systems, operators there refused to “bow” to hackers and fork over ransom money to make the assault stop.
That 2018 cyberattack was part of what experts say is a fast-growing and evolving threat in the water sector and a glaring example of the type of attack — ransomware — that earlier this month shut down the East Coast’s largest fuel supplier, the Colonial pipeline.
Following Pipeline Cyberattack, Biden Vows To Better Protect Water Systems
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Chelsea Campos /Water Onlineby Peter ChawagaA dangerous cyberattack on critical U.S. infrastructure this month has underscored the ongoing threat that these kinds of attacks pose to drinking water systems, and the president has taken notice.
The FBI has confirmed that hackers successfully forced the Colonial Pipeline, which provides gasoline and jet fuel to much of the East Coast, to shut down.
Water Plant Cyberattack Is Wake Up Call, 20 Years in the Making
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Bloomberg Lawby Jake Holland and Bobby MagillA cyberattack on a Florida water treatment plant underscores the need for strong security protections at the municipal level, attorneys and industry professionals say.
A hacker gained access to an Oldsmar, Fla. city computer on Feb. 5 and changed the level of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, local authorities said. It isn’t yet known whether the breach originated from the U.S. or from outside the country. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working with local authorities.
Hack Exposes Vulnerability of Cash-Strapped US Water Plants
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /AP Newsby Frank Bajak, Alan Suderman and Tamara LushA hacker’s botched attempt to poison the water supply of a small Florida city is raising alarms about just how vulnerable the nation’s water systems may be to attacks by more sophisticated intruders. Treatment plants are typically cash-strapped, and lack the cybersecurity depth of the power grid and nuclear plants.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
