Source: Water treatment plant hacked, chemical mix changed for tap supplies • The Register

Water treatment plant hacked, chemical mix changed for tap supplies • The Register

Water treatment plant hacked, chemical mix changed for tap supplies

Well, that's just a little scary

24 Mar 2016 at 12:19, John Leyden

Hackers infiltrated a water utility’s control system and changed the levels of chemicals being used to treat tap water, we're told.

The cyber-attack is documented in this month’s IT security breach report (available here, registration required) from Verizon Security Solutions. The utility in question is referred to using a pseudonym, Kemuri Water Company, and its location is not revealed.

A "hacktivist" group with ties to Syria compromised Kemuri Water Company’s computers after exploiting unpatched web vulnerabilities in its internet-facing customer payment portal, it is reported.

Source: Hackers Modify Water Treatment Parameters by Accident

Hackers Modify Water Treatment Parameters by Accident

Bad network design exposes water treatment plant to hacking

Mar 22, 2016 15:25 GMT  ·  By Catalin Cimpanu 

A group of hackers, previously involved in various hacktivism campaigns, have accidentally made their way into an ICS/SCADA system installed at a water treatment facility and have altered crucial settings that controlled the amount of chemicals used to treat tap water.

This strange hacking incident is described in Verizon's 2016 Data Breach Digest (page 38, Scenario 8), a collection of case studies that the company's RISK team was brought in to investigate.

#water treatment#hacker#ICS/SCADA#SCADA#water plant

Source: The future of our city services? Cyberattackers target core water systems | ZDNet

Source: The future of our city services? Cyberattackers target core water systems | ZDNet

In a recent case, cyberattackers have demonstrated that breaches are not limited to corporate targets. By Charlie Osborne for Zero Day | March 23, 2016 -- 11:25 GMT (04:25 PDT) | Topic: Security.

A group of cyberattackers have shown how weak security has the potential to cripple urban areas worldwide.

The services we rely on every day but often don't think about until a bill is popped through the post -- electricity, water and gas -- keep Western cities running. Without them, businesses would collapse and our daily lives would be very, very different.

But are utilities taking enough care to protect these core services from abuse? Perhaps not, considering a recent case recounted by Verizon's cybersecurity RISK team.