{"id":2115552,"date":"2023-12-04T16:50:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T21:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/online-breaches-by-iran-affiliated-hackers-hit-multiple-u-s-states\/"},"modified":"2023-12-04T16:52:33","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T21:52:33","slug":"online-breaches-by-iran-affiliated-hackers-hit-multiple-u-s-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/online-breaches-by-iran-affiliated-hackers-hit-multiple-u-s-states\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian hackers target multiple US states in online breaches"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fonline-breaches-by-iran-affiliated-hackers-hit-multiple-u-s-states%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2115552&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The screen of a Unitronics device that was hacked in Aliquippa, Pa., on Nov. 25. (Photo \u200bvia: Municipal \u2063Water Authority of Aliquippa via <em>AP<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>OAN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/tag\/brooke-mallory\">Brooke Mallory<\/a><br \/>1:38 \u200dPM \u2013 Monday, December \u200c4, 2023<\/p>\n<p>According \u200bto U.S. \u200cand\u200c Israeli officials, a number\u2064 of United States organizations were compromised by Iran-affiliated hackers who targeted\u200c an Israeli-made\u2062 industrial control device.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px; text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThe victims span\u200b multiple U.S. states,\u201d said the FBI, the \u200dEnvironmental Protection Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, \u2062known as CISA, as well as Israel\u2019s \u2062National Cyber Directorate in\u2063 an\u2062 advisory that was emailed to <em>The Associated Press<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>They did not specify the number of compromised organizations. <\/p>\n<p>The head \u200dof the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, Matthew Mottes, announced on Thursday that he had \u2063received word from federal officials who said that\u2064 the\u2062 same group also compromised an \u200baquarium and four other utilities after discovering that it had\u200b been hacked on\u200d November 25<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n<p>Although there is no proof that Iran was involved in the Oct. 7<sup>th<\/sup> \u200c attack on Israel by Hamas that prompted the ongoing Gaza\u200d conflict, cybersecurity experts predict that state-sponsored \u200dIranian hackers and pro-Palestinian \u201chacktivists\u201d \u2063will \u2064increase\u200d their cyberattacks against Israel and \u2062its allies \u200cin the wake of the\u2062 strike.<\/p>\n<p>The multiagency advisory clarified what CISA had not\u2063 mentioned when it \u200bverified the hack in Pennsylvania on Wednesday: that other sectors \u200dof the economy besides water and water treatment facilities also\u2062 use Unitronics\u2019 Vision Series \u200bprogrammable logic controllers,\u200c which are potentially vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>According to the recommendation, these sectors\u2063 include \u200c\u201cenergy, food and\u2064 beverage manufacturing, and healthcare.\u201d The apparatuses control temperature, pressure, and fluid flow, \u200damong other \u200dfunctions.<\/p>\n<p>Workers at a \u200ddistant station that controls water\u200b pressure for two neighboring towns\u2062 were\u200c encouraged by the Aliquippa hack to temporarily stop pumping, which forced the operators to turn to manual operation. On the infected \u200cgadget, the hackers placed \u200ca\u200c digital calling card that declared all equipment manufactured in Israel to be \u2064a \u201clegal target.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was unknown, according to the multiagency advice, if the hackers had attempted to delve further into compromised networks. According to the\u200b statement, the access they did have allowed for \u201cmore profound cyberphysical effects on processes and \u2063equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The hackers, who\u200b refer\u2063 to themselves \u2063as \u201cCyber Av3ngers,\u201d are connected to the \u200bIslamic Revolutionary Guards\u200c Corps in Iran, which the United States\u2062 classified as\u2063 a \u200bforeign terrorist group in 2019. \u200dThe\u200b organization\u200c claimed to have been targeting the \u2062Unitronics devices since at least November 22<sup>nd<\/sup>.<\/p>\n<p>Using the Shodan service, \u2063an online \u2064search \u200bon Saturday turned up more than 200 of these internet-connected gadgets in the United States and more than 1,700 worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>Unitronics devices are pre-configured with a default password, \u2063which is not recommended by experts since it\u200d increases the susceptibility of the devices to \u2063hacking. Best practices call for gadgets to\u2064 demand users \u200dset a special password.<\/p>\n<p>According to the report, \u201cexploiting cybersecurity weaknesses, including poor password security and exposure to the \u2062internet,\u201d is what officials believe is\u2062 the reason that the hackers gained access to the impacted computers.<\/p>\n<p>Many water \u2062companies, according to experts, have not given cybersecurity measures enough thought.<\/p>\n<p>Three lawmakers from Pennsylvania wrote \u2063to the U.S. Justice Department\u200d and requested an investigation into the Aliquippa\u200d hack. Democrat Senators Bob Casey \u2062(D-Pa.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.), together \u2064with U.S. Representative \u200dChris Deluzio (D-Pa.), stated that citizens need to\u200c know that \u201cnation-state adversaries and \u200cterrorist organizations\u201d cannot harm drinking\u2064 water or other essential infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>In a social media post on October 30<sup>th<\/sup>, Cyber Av3ngers stated\u2063 that they had breached ten water treatment facilities in Israel,\u200c however, it\u2063 is unclear \u2063if any equipment was disabled.<\/p>\n<p>According to \u2062Sergey Shykevich of Check \u200bPoint, the organization has grown and \u2063intensified its\u2062 targeting of vital Israeli\u2062 infrastructure since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Before October 7<sup>th<\/sup>, there was a low-level cyber conflict between\u200b Iran and Israel.<\/p>\n<p>Unitronics has not responded to any requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The incident occurred less than \u200da \u200bmonth after the EPA was forced to retract a regulation that \u200dwould have required public\u2063 water systems in the United States to incorporate \u200bcybersecurity \u200ctesting \u200din their routine \u2062audits, as required by\u2063 federal law, due to a judgment \u200bmade by a federal appeals court. \u2063A federal\u2064 appeals court ruling in \u2063a\u2062 case filed \u200bby\u200c Missouri, Arkansas, and\u200c Iowa, together with participation \u2062from a trade association representing\u200b water utilities, set off the rollback.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration has set rules on industries, including\u2062 electric utilities, gas pipelines, and nuclear plants, in\u200c an effort to strengthen\u200c cybersecurity for\u2063 vital infrastructure, which is more than 80% privately held.\u200c However, many experts argue that too many crucial industries are allowed to exercise self-regulation.<\/p>\n<p>Stay informed! Receive breaking \u2062news blasts directly to your\u2063 inbox for\u2064 free. Subscribe here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"rc-widget-10bad2\" data-rc-widget data-widget-host=\"habitat\" data-endpoint=\"\/\/trends.revcontent.com\" data-widget-id=\"278641\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"dpsp-share-text\" style=\"margin-bottom:10px\"> \t\t \t\t\u2062 \t\tShare this post!\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">  \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Is 65% of the\u2062 first\u200d amendment really free speech? <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>2:59 PM UTC \u2013 December 4, 2023 \u2063MADRID (Reuters) \u2013 A group representing 83 \u2064Spanish media outlets has filed a 550 million\u2026 \u200b <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Verizon \u200bsaid it would offer streaming subscriptions to Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery-owned Max platforms as a bundle to its customers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Market capitalizations of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/whistleblower-reveals-censorship-industrial-complex\/\" title=\"Whistleblower exposes \"Censorship Industrial Complex\">global mega-cap companies surged<\/a>, buoyed by a decline in U.S. yields\u200d and growing anticipation\u2063 of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/decolonization-part-of-radical-climate-agenda\/\" title=\"Decolonization' in Radical Climate Agenda\">potential rate cuts amid diminishing worries<\/a> about inflation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>More advertisers are likely to flee Elon Musk\u2019s social media platform \u200dX after the billionaire lashed \u2063out at some of \u2062the\u2062 biggest \u200bnames in\u200b the media industry.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> rnrn  <\/p>\n<h2> What\u200d sectors were targeted \u2062by Iranian-affiliated hackers through an\u2063 Israeli-made industrial control device?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Title: \u200dIranian Hackers Target U.S. Organizations through Israeli-Made Industrial Control Device<\/p>\n<p>Introduction:<\/p>\n<p>In\u200c a recent cybersecurity attack, Iranian-affiliated \u200chackers targeted multiple United States \u2064organizations through an Israeli-made industrial control device. This breach highlights the vulnerability of various sectors, \u2062including water, energy, food and beverage manufacturing, and healthcare, to state-sponsored cyberattacks. The incident raises\u200d concerns about the security of critical infrastructure and the need for stronger cybersecurity \u2063measures.<\/p>\n<p>Attack Details:<\/p>\n<p>According to a joint advisory by the FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the \u200cCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency \u200c(CISA), and Israel&#8217;s\u2064 National Cyber Directorate, several U.S. organizations fell victim to the hacking campaign.\u2063 While \u200bthe \u2063advisory did not\u200d specify the \u200dnumber of compromised organizations, it revealed that the attack affected multiple states across \u200dthe country.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa was among the targeted organizations, discovering the\u2064 breach \u2062on November 25th. Federal officials informed the authority that the same hacking group had also compromised an aquarium and four other utilities. The attack not\u2062 only compromised water and \u2062water treatment facilities but\u2063 also revealed potential vulnerabilities in other sectors\u200c using Unitronics&#8217; Vision Series programmable logic controllers, such as energy, food\u2064 and \u200bbeverage manufacturing, \u200band healthcare.<\/p>\n<p>Possible Consequences:<\/p>\n<p>The attack prompts concerns regarding the potential \u200bcyberphysical\u200d effects on processes and equipment\u200c that hackers might exploit. The compromised organizations were \u200dforced to \u2063resort to\u2064 manual operation, leading to disruptions in essential services. \u2063The hackers left a digital calling card stating that all \u200dequipment\u200c manufactured\u200d in Israel was\u2062 a &#8220;legal target.&#8221;\u200d These circumstances raise uncertainty about whether \u2063further network infiltration attempts were made by\u2064 the hackers.<\/p>\n<p>Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities:<\/p>\n<p>The targeting of Unitronics devices highlighted \u2063the importance of \u200ccybersecurity practices such as strong password security and limiting exposure to\u2064 the internet.\u200b Experts noted that default passwords significantly \u200bincrease\u2063 the susceptibility of devices to hacking. The report\u2062 emphasized the need for companies to invest in robust \u200ccybersecurity measures and not overlook \u200cthe\u2064 potential risks to critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Growing\u200b Threat and Call for Action:<\/p>\n<p>Cybersecurity experts predict that state-sponsored Iranian hackers and pro-Palestinian &#8220;hacktivists&#8221; would intensify their cyberattacks against Israel and its \u200ballies \u200dfollowing the recent conflict between\u200b Israel and Hamas. \u2064This highlights the need for increased\u200d vigilance and\u2063 proactive cybersecurity measures \u200bto\u200c protect critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>The incident triggered calls for action \u200dfrom lawmakers. Three \u200dPennsylvania lawmakers urged the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the\u2063 Aliquippa hack. \u2064The legislators emphasized\u2063 the importance of safeguarding essential\u200c infrastructure, including drinking\u2064 water, against nation-state adversaries and terrorist \u2062organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Conclusion:<\/p>\n<p>The cyberattack targeting U.S. \u2063organizations through an\u2062 Israeli-made industrial\u2063 control device serves \u2063as a\u200c wake-up call to enhance cybersecurity practices, especially\u200c in critical infrastructure sectors. The breach highlights the\u2064 vulnerabilities of various sectors\u2063 beyond water and water treatment facilities. It is imperative that organizations\u200b prioritize cybersecurity measures and stay vigilant against emerging threats to ensure the integrity and security of essential services that our society relies \u2063upon in the digital age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Device in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. The incident occurred on November 25 and was confirmed by the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa. U.S. and Israeli authorities are investigating the cyberattack, which is believed to be part of Iran&#8217;s ongoing cyber warfare efforts<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1866,"featured_media":2115553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2115552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1866"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2115552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2115553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2115552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2115552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2115552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}