Iranian Hackers Attack US Water Supplies

Uploaded on 2024-04-15 in NEWS-Cybersecurity News, INTELLIGENCE-Hot Spots-Iran, FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Production-Utilities, TECHNOLOGY--Hackers

A White House national security official has said recent cyber attacks by Iranian hackers on US water authorities should be seen as a call to action by utilities and industry to tighten cyber security.

Now, the US government is warning state governors that Iranian hackers are carrying out disruptive cyber attacks against water and sewage systems throughout the country, as a result if rising tensions in the Middle East.

The US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, has warned state governors and asked them to be alert for potential cyber attacks on States critical infrastructure systems. The warning letter which was released last month was co-authored by Michael Regan, the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

This warning comes after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were attributed responsibility for cyber attacks against critical US infrastructure, including drinking water systems. The IRGC affiliated hackers were able to target and disable a common type of operational technology used at water facilities where the facility had neglected to change a default manufacturer password.

Sullivan and Regan refer to ongoing threats from hackers linked to the governments of Iran and China and warned hackers associated with both states have previously attacked water systems. Their intention is to warn to organisations operating critical utilities and that in many cases their facilities lack the personnel and technical resources to address the threat or implement robust cyber security mechanisms.

The US has imposed sanctions on six officials in IRGC, which it says are responsible for the cyber-attacks on American water plants in 2023. Hackers related to the Iranian regime attacked Israeli-made digital controls in the water industries in the US last November, affecting several states without affecting water supply.

Water facilities in the US have long been an easy target for cyber attacks due to the critical underfunding, low staffing levels, and a general lack of cyber security.

The US Government has previously said that the burden of responsibility for cyber security should be shifted onto private enterprises, that are best positioned to reduce the risks for small businesses and public institutions.

Bloomberg | Image: Dan Meyers

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