Pennsylvania Water Utility Attacked by Iranian Linked Cyberterrorists, More

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“ The affected station, responsible for managing water pressure in Raccoon and Potter Townships, faced no compromise to its water quality or supply. ”

Yes, this is what we were told by our local news that the water quality is fine. The hackers turned the system to manual from automatic :thinking: Who knows what really happened.

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The utility knows, at least for water leaving the treatment plant and for any downstream sampling points. I would expect there to be in-process instruments (in direct contact with the water) that report in real-time easily detectable conditions such as pH, salinity, conductivity, temperature, and turbidity to an automated data collection system like Aveva Pi Historian. There should also be periodic manual sampling of water for further testing in a lab environment for things like bacteria and contaminants. If the hack disturbed the automatic monitoring or prevented manual sampling, then it should be recorded somewhere so the effects could be ascertained.

I have some firsthand biopharm experience with Pi Historian. In our applications, there were anti-tampering mechanisms which tracked manual changes to the database, meaning anyone hacking/covering up at the biopharm company would leave a trail. I don’t know how sophisticated the data integrity requirements are for utilities.

If the hack was indeed limited to switching to manual operation of a pressure boosting station only, then it is unlikely there was a degradation of water quality.

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What, you mean it’s not a Russia-backed cyberattack?? Oh, sorry, I forgot the latest memo – we’re back to Muslim extremists as the bad guys du jour.

Maybe next year they’ll cycle back to Christian nationalists (whatever that means), or if they ever hire narrative spinners with an ounce of imagination, why not libertarian extremists or Buddhist fanatics?

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I believe the MAGAs armies are next🙄

Ah, yes, how silly of me! “MAGA Republicans” or the “far right” are obvious candidates for Next Big Bogeyman . . .

No, no, no … I tell you it’s the bicyclists! :slight_smile:

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It’s a good thing I use a water purifier. Those pesky Iranians!

Or that’s what TPTB wants us to believe. Whitney Webb has a different opinion and she has facts behind her.

CTI League has access to critical American infrastructure, incl nuclear reactors, dams and hospitals, and is run by a career spy focused on blaming Iran for a cyberattack on the US. Isn't that just as big as a story (if not bigger) as them censoring people online? https://t.co/JN7q0XSWEn

— Whitney Webb (@_whitneywebb) November 30, 2023