Foreign hackers targeted Colorado water systems in August, governor's office says
The hackers managed to change equipment settings, including disabling remote access and alarms and altering pumping cycles, Colorado Governor Polis' spokesperson Ally Sullivan said.
Foreign hackers infiltrated two small Colorado water systems in August, altering equipment settings and disabling alarms, according to Colorado Governor Jared Polis' office. The incidents, occurring at privately owned utilities serving fewer than 200 residents, did not jeopardize public safety or water service. Governor Polis' spokesperson, Ally Sullivan, stated that the governor's office is uncertain about the identities of the foreign actors but is aware of ongoing efforts by an Iranian-backed group targeting drinking water and wastewater systems nationwide.
The hackers manipulated equipment settings, disabled remote access, altered pumping cycles, and briefly interrupted operations. However, treatment processes and water quality remained unaffected. The governor's office received notification from the affected providers, who promptly addressed the risks. These incidents followed a wave of cyberattacks on local water systems in several states, reported by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on August 21.
Cybersecurity experts believe the earlier attacks resembled prior Iranian-linked hacking activities targeting programmable logic controllers used in critical infrastructure networks. The FBI reported similar incidents resulting in degraded water operations, including changes in IP addresses and passwords, leading to loss of functionality in targeted facilities.
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