Foreign Hackers Breach Two Colorado Water Systems
Foreign Hackers Breach Two Colorado Water Systems
The News
Foreign actors targeted two small, private water providers in Colorado, breaking in deep enough to change equipment settings before operators regained control, the office of Gov. Jared Polis confirmed Friday.
The intrusions involved altering pumping cycles and disabling remote access and alarms, according to the governor's office.
Treatment processes and water quality were not affected, the office said. Each of the affected systems serves fewer than 200 people.
The Numbers
Two Colorado utilities breached. Fewer than 200 people served by each system. At least a dozen states have reported possible cyber intrusions at water utilities.
Timeline
Axios reports that foreign hackers targeted Colorado water systems.
Gov. Jared Polis's office confirms to ABC News that "foreign actors" targeted two small, private water providers in the state, and says treatment processes and water quality were not impacted.
Fox News reports the hackers altered pumping cycles and disabled alarms at the two utilities before operators took back control of their systems.
Reactions
The governor's office moved to reassure residents, stressing that the breaches did not reach treatment processes and that the water itself was not compromised.
Federal law enforcement is pushing utilities to shrink the attack surface: the FBI is urging water systems to disconnect equipment from the internet where possible, and agencies are telling operators to practice reverting to manual controls if automated systems fail.
ABC News reported that Iran is a known suspect in similar attacks on water systems nationally. No official attribution has been made for the Colorado intrusions.
What's Next
Investigators have not publicly identified which foreign government or group carried out the Colorado breaches, and official confirmation is still pending.
It is also unknown whether other small utilities in Colorado or elsewhere are sitting on similar, undetected access.
Expect continued federal pressure on small water systems to take remote access offline and drill manual operation.
More
Small water utilities are soft targets because they often lack dedicated cybersecurity staff. Attackers who get in can effectively blind operators — changing passwords or switching off alarms — before anyone knows there is a problem.
The Colorado cases fit a national pattern: possible intrusions at water utilities have been reported in at least a dozen states.
Poll
Should small water utilities be required to disconnect their control systems from the internet?
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