Hackers targeting US water systems, Biden administration warns
- The governors of all 50 states were cautioned to beef up security
- Some facilities lack even basic cybersecurity protection
- The letter from the Biden administration warned of actors in China, Iran
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(NewsNation) — The Biden administration is warning U.S. governors that hackers are targeting water and wastewater systems from coast to coast.
The letter, released Tuesday by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, warned all 50 governors they need to be proactive in boosting their digital defenses.
“Disabling cyberattacks are striking water and wastewater systems throughout the United States,” the letter read in part. “These attacks have the potential to disrupt the critical lifeline of clean and safe drinking water, as well as impose significant costs on affected communities.”
The letter identifies two main threats: “Actors affiliated with the Iranian Government Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” as well as “The People’s Republic of China state-sponsored cyber group known as Volt Typhoon.”
The letter warns that organizations from the two countries are “pre-positioning themselves to disrupt critical infrastructure operations in the event of geopolitical tensions and/or military conflicts.”
The letter notes drinking and wastewater systems are attractive targets for attackers due to pervasive inadequate security resources and technical capacity. While there are ongoing efforts to beef up defenses, sporadic attacks have already targeted parts of the U.S. water system.
Iranian-backed hackers targeted multiple U.S. agencies in November, including a water plant in Pennsylvania. Residents were unaffected because an alarm prompted the plant to immediately switch to manual operations.
Not all agencies, however, have such capacities.
The federal warning follows testimony by FBI director Christopher Wray in January, where he alerted a House panel that China holds an enormous cyber advantage.
“The PRC (People’s Republic of China) has a bigger hacking program than that of every major nation combined,” Wray said.
The new warning notes that even basic cybersecurity precautions are not in place at many U.S. facilities, such as resetting default passwords, or updating software.
