Cyber Criminals Target U.S. Water Infrastructure
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and presidential National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wrote a letter to governors stating that cyberattacks are striking and disabling water and wastewater systems throughout the United States.
“Drinking water and wastewater systems are a lifeline for communities, but many systems have not adopted important cybersecurity practices to thwart potential cyberattacks,” they wrote.
According to Health News, The attacks against U.S. water infrastructure have the potential to disrupt the critical lifeline of clean and safe drinking water, at the same time imposing significant costs on affected communities, according to the EPA.
Threat actors affiliated with the Iranian Government Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have targeted and disabled operational technology in facilities that had neglected to change a default manufacturer password.
China’s state-sponsored cyber group, Volt Typhoon, has compromised the information technology of multiple drinking water systems in the US.
The group is pre-positioning itself to disrupt critical infrastructure during geopolitical tensions and/or military conflicts, according to the assessment from federal departments and agencies.
