A coordinated intrusion knocked out industrial controllers at more than 30 Minnesota water systems. The US cyber-defence agency is telling utilities to get that hardware off the internet.
The US cyber-defence agency has warned that hackers are increasingly targeting the country’s water systems, urging utilities to lock down the industrial controllers that keep taps running.
CISA issued the alert days after a coordinated attack knocked out equipment at more than 30 water systems across Minnesota, echoing an earlier case in which Poland’s water plants were breached through default passwords.
The Minnesota attack was the trigger. Over the weekend of 26 July, intruders reached the programmable logic controllers that automate treatment and pumping, locking operators out and forcing several towns to run their systems by hand.
Four municipalities were named. Plymouth, South St. Paul, Maple Plain, and Braham were among those hit, with at least one municipal well and treatment plant taken offline before staff restored service, usually within about 90 minutes.The 💜 of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
