The Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa faced a cyberattack originating from a foreign entity, potentially linked to Iran. Reports confirm that hackers breached the system of a booster station over the weekend.
However, authorities reassured the public, affirming that the water supply remains unaffected despite the Water Authority of Aliquippa cyberattack. The company provides water and sewer services to over 6,600 clients in Aliquippa, along with parts of Hopewell, Raccoon, and Potter Townships.
Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa Cyberattack
According to a water utility representative who talked with KDKA-TV (which is associated with CBS News), the hacked system is connected to a booster station that keeps an eye on and controls the water pressure in the Raccoon and Potter Townships.
Aliquippa utility was promptly notified of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa cyberattack through an alarm, and the compromised system was turned off. According to a spokesperson of the water facility, there is no known risk to the drinking water or water supply.
The hacktivist organization Cyber Av3ngers, with ties to Iran, has claimed credit for the attack. It looks that an industrial control system (ICS) manufactured by the Israeli business Unitronics was the target of the anti-Israel hackers.
Congressman Chris Deluzio posted on Facebook, “I am closely monitoring this cyberattack on the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa. My office is in touch with leadership, which reports that there has been no loss of water service for folks. Federal officials are assisting the investigation, and I remain ready to help with federal agencies.”
Chris stated in his post, “Attacks on our critical infrastructure like water are unacceptable. I intend to push for a full investigation here and accountability for the attackers, and I will continue the important bipartisan work on the House Armed Services Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation (CITI) Subcommittee to shore up America’s defenses.”
According to an image released by KDKA-TV, the hackers appear to have taken over an integrated human-machine interface (HMI) programmable logic controller (PLC) system called Unitronics Vision.
There are known serious vulnerabilities affecting Unitronics Vision products that might leave devices vulnerable to assaults like the latest Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa cyberattack.
Why Do Incidents Like the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa Cyberattack Happen?
As HMIs are often accessible on the internet without authentication, even inexperienced threat actors can readily target them.
Conversely, hackers have a track record of inflating the effects of their attacks and circulating fabricated evidence, purporting it to be sourced from targeted companies. Hacktivist groups often target ICS, understanding both the potential consequences and the opportunity to raise awareness for their cause.
On the other hand, the hackers have a history of exaggerating the impact of their attacks and even publishing fake evidence while claiming that it was taken from a targeted company.
Hacktivists don’t always need expertise in industrial systems to execute attacks similar to the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa cyberattack. By exploiting vulnerable HMIs, hackers can easily access and manipulate parameters, potentially causing significant impacts on physical processes due to inadequate protection measures.
Cyberattacks targeting the water industry are not unusual, and allegations of attacks affecting the ICS at water plants have been verified. For this reason, companies in this industry can now take advantage of a free vulnerability scanning service provided by the US government agency CISA.
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