Iran Suspected of Wreaking Havoc on US Water Systems with Stealth Attack
A recent coordinated cyberattack targeted over 30 water systems across Minnesota on July 26 and 27, with Iran suspected as teh likely origin of the hackers. The Minnesota IT Services confirmed that no drinking water was deemed unsafe, although at least one city’s well and treatment plant were temporarily offline. The FBI is investigating the incident and is in contact with the victims. Experts note that U.S. water infrastructure is vulnerable due to aging systems, and similar threats from Iranian hackers have been warned about by federal agencies in recent months. Local officials emphasize the importance of defending critical infrastructure despite limited resources, with some disruptions already managed within hours.
Iran is being blamed for a cyberattack on multiple Minnesota public water systems.
A “coordinated cyberattack” targeted more than 30 water systems on July 26 and July 27, Minnesota IT Services said in a statement, according to Reuters.
The state agency said it was not aware of any notices indicating that the drinking water in any community was unsafe to drink.
According to The New York Times, the preliminary assessment of the attack led to Iranian hackers as the likely culprits, although a final assessment could modify that determination.
The well and treatment plant in one city was offline Monday, while other cities found ways to work around the disruption.
Emily Zimmer, a representative of the state agency, told Reuters that “the timing, methods of access, and targeted infrastructure characteristics with other coordinated cyber incidents our federal partners have observed involving critical infrastructure.”
The FBI said in a statement that it was aware of the incident and was in contact with victims “to resolve the matter.”
Iranian-linked hackers have targeted water systems for years.
In April, the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned that Iranian hackers were trying to take control of computer devices used to interact with infrastructure networks. A July warning followed, expanding the warning.
“CISA’s updated reporting shows a worrying expansion in Iran-linked critical infrastructure targeting focused on the United States,” Joe Slowik, director of threat research and cyber engineering at cybersecurity firm Dataminr, said on July 27.
“The FBI is aware of the incident and in contact with victims to resolve the matter,” Matthew Vogel, an FBI representative, said, according to The New York Times.
John Israel, Minnesota’s chief information security officer, said about 36 water systems were targeted.
Cybersecurity experts have long said that U.S. water systems, which tend to be old, are vulnerable to hacking.
Nate George, the mayor of Braham, Minnesota, said the impact of the hack was felt Monday when the well that provides water to the city’s water tower malfunctioned.
“Public works isolated the affected system, restored a backup and restarted the plant within approximately 90 minutes,” he said.
“This attack on critical public infrastructure should be a warning to policymakers in St. Paul,” he said.
“Minnesota’s local governments are expected to defend essential systems against foreign adversaries and sophisticated criminals, often with limited staff, aging technology and inadequate resources,” he added.
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