▲ A water tower in Minnesota, USA
Local water supply systems in Minnesota, USA, have been hit by cyberattacks, prompting U.S. authorities to launch an investigation.
While reports have emerged that authorities are investigating with an open mind regarding a possible connection to Iran, no official confirmation has been made.
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), MNIT, the information technology agency for the state of Minnesota, announced that approximately 30 local water systems suffered "coordinated cyberattacks" on July 26 and 27.
Minnesota Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) John Israel said in a statement, "We have provided relevant information to the federal government, and the federal government is leading the effort to evaluate this activity in a broader national context and determine if it can be attributed to a specific threat actor."
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, stated in a separate alert that hackers targeted programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which control water systems, and changed passwords to block administrators from accessing them.
PLCs refer to industrial computer equipment specially designed to control machinery, equipment, and automated processes in industrial settings.
In water and wastewater treatment systems, operating procedures such as pumps, valves, water levels, and pressure are automatically controlled via PLCs.
CISA explained that some facilities had to issue boil-water advisories and switch from automatic controls to manual operations.
The BBC reported that media outlets are airing stories that U.S. authorities are investigating the possibility that the incident was the work of Iran.
However, the BBC added that it had contacted CISA, but CISA did not confirm whether the reports mentioning an Iranian link to the incident were true.
Citing CISA, the BBC explained that there are 152,000 drinking water systems and over 16,000 wastewater treatment systems in the United States, leaving them exposed to cyberattack risks.
U.S. federal agencies have previously warned multiple times that foreign hacking groups, including organizations linked to Iran, could target U.S. water and wastewater facilities.
On April 7, CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned that cyber actors linked to Iran were attacking internet-connected operational equipment, including PLCs manufactured by Rockwell Automation.
Subsequently, on July 22, they updated their alert to warn that PLCs from other manufacturers, such as Schneider Electric and Siemens, could also be targeted.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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