Foreign Hackers Manipulate the Operational Systems of Two Colorado Water Utilities

Foreign actors breached the OT systems of two small private water utilities in Colorado in late August, altering plant settings, pumping cycles, and alarm configurations. The intruders also temporarily disabled remote access, but the incidents were brief and compromised neither water quality nor public safety. The affected facilities, which were not identified, serve fewer than 200 people in total, and authorities have not attributed the attacks to a specific country or group. Nevertheless, the incident demonstrates that even very small infrastructure facilities can be reached by international operators and manipulated directly at the industrial level. The case adds to a growing series of intrusions targeting U.S. water facilities, which often have limited security resources and exposed or poorly segmented OT equipment.

Source: Security Affairs