"For Chris Hughes, the assistant water and wastewater operator for the towns of Cavendish and Proctorsville, it's just another problem and another day on the job. This time, he's pretty sure a lightning strike disrupted the water treatment process. Other times, it's a build-up of iron in the system, a missing manhole cover, or an influx of "flushable" wipes, which he says routinely gum up the system."
"But now, he's facing a new threat: hackers burrowing into the system and wreaking havoc. It's not a fantasy or some far-off possibility; it's already happening all over the United States. Iranian hackers infiltrated computer systems at a water treatment plant in Aliquippa, Pa., to display anti-Israel messages in November of 2023. A water system overflowed in rural Muleshoe, Texas, in January of 2024, an attack that's been linked to Russian hacktivists."
In a small Vermont town near Okemo, water treatment operators manage physical maintenance problems such as lightning-disrupted processes, iron buildup, missing manhole covers, and wipes that clog systems. Assistant operator Chris Hughes handles repairs and stresses commitment to the job. Cyberattacks are now targeting water systems, with Iranian hackers altering messages at a plant in Aliquippa, Pa., and a 2024 overflow in Muleshoe, Texas, linked to Russian hacktivists. U.S. officials report Chinese actors probing critical infrastructure to prepare for potential conflict. The EPA warns community water system cyberattacks are increasing, and pilot programs pair operators with cybersecurity volunteers.
Read at www.npr.org
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