Authorities were working Thursday to find the source of cyberattacks that targeted over 30 water systems in Minnesota and came amid warnings that Iranian hackers have been focused on such systems. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
Minnesota IT Services said state officials had yet to identify who was behind the attacks that took place Sunday and Monday. There were no reports that residents had been impacted by the attacks, though one city asked residents to conserve water for a couple hours while they tried to determine what was wrong.
The FBI, which is investigating, has not publicly identified a culprit and a spokesperson declined to say Thursday who the bureau thought might be responsible. The FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other agencies warned in an advisory last week that Iranian hackers have been targeting water and wastewater systems and the operational controls other critical infrastructure sectors.
Digital warfare has become ingrained in military conflict, and local water plants or healthcare facilities often lack the funds and know-how to install the latest software patches or take other security steps. That has made them a favorite target, both because of the relative ease of penetrating them and because of the panic such disruptions can cause.
Iran has the "geopolitical" reasons for such attacks, experts said, but specific evidence has not yet been presented. The technical nature of the attacks is still being studied, and authorities are taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens.
The Associated Press published this story based on reports by Jamie Stengle and Eric Tucker. The photos show a water tower in Plymouth, which was also one of the attacked systems. State officials are working to mitigate the effects of the attacks and prevent future incidents.