Breaches by Iran-Affiliated Hackers Spanned Multiple U.S. States, Federal Agencies Say

A small western Pennsylvania water authority was just one of multiple organizations breached in the United States by Iran-affiliated hackers who targeted a specific industrial control device because it is Israeli-made, U.S. and Israeli authorities say.
They did not say how many organizations were hacked or otherwise describe them.
Matthew Mottes, the chairman of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, which discovered it had been hacked on Nov. 25, said Thursday that federal officials had told him the same group also breached four other utilities and an aquarium.
Cybersecurity experts say that while there is no evidence of Iranian involvement in the Oct. 7 attack into Israel by Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza they expected state-backed Iranian hackers and pro-Palestinian hacktivists to step up cyberattacks on Israeli and its allies in its aftermath.
The multiagency advisory explained what CISA had not when it confirmed the Pennsylvania hack on Wednesday - that other industries outside water and water-treatment facilities use the same equipment - Vision Series programmable logic controllers made by Unitronics - and were also potentially vulnerable.
The devices regulate processes including pressure, temperature and fluid flow.
The Aliquippa hack promoted workers to temporarily halt pumping in a remote station that regulates water pressure for two nearby towns, leading crews to switch to manual operation.
The multiagency advisory said it was not known if the hackers had tried to penetrate deeper into breached networks.
The group targeted the Unitronics devices at least since Nov. 22, it said.
An online search Saturday with the Shodan service identified more than 200 such internet-connected devices in the U.S. and more than 1,700 globally.
The advisory notes that Unitronics devices ship with a default password, a practice experts discourage as it makes them more vulnerable to hacking.
Best practices call for devices to require a unique password to be created out of the box.
Experts say many water utilities have paid insufficient attention to cybersecurity.
In response to the Aliquippa hack, three Pennsylvania congressmen asked the U.S. Justice Department in a letter to investigate.
Cyber Av3ngers claimed in an Oct. 30 social media post to have hacked 10 water treatment stations in Israel, though it is not clear if they shut down any equipment.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the group has expanded and accelerated targeting Israeli critical infrastructure, said Check Point's Sergey Shykevich.
Unitronics has not responded to the AP queries about the hacks.
The attack came less than a month after a federal appeals court decision prompted the EPA to rescind a rule that would have obliged U.S public water systems to include cybersecurity testing in their regular federally mandated audits.
The rollback was triggered by a federal appeals court decision in a case brought by Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa, and joined by a water utility trade group.
The Biden administration has been trying to shore up cybersecurity of critical infrastructure - more than 80% of which is privately owned - and has imposed regulations on sectors including electric utilities, gas pipelines and nuclear facilities.


This Cyber News was published on www.securityweek.com. Publication date: Sun, 03 Dec 2023 04:13:05 +0000


Cyber News related to Breaches by Iran-Affiliated Hackers Spanned Multiple U.S. States, Federal Agencies Say

Breaches by Iran-Affiliated Hackers Spanned Multiple U.S. States, Federal Agencies Say - A small western Pennsylvania water authority was just one of multiple organizations breached in the United States by Iran-affiliated hackers who targeted a specific industrial control device because it is Israeli-made, U.S. and Israeli authorities ...
11 months ago Securityweek.com
Accelerating Safe and Secure AI Adoption with ATO for AI: stackArmor Comments on OMB AI Memo - We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the proposed Memo on Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence. Ensuring agencies have access to adequate IT infrastructure,. We base our remarks on our experience helping US Federal agencies transform their ...
11 months ago Securityboulevard.com
IRGC-Affiliated Cyber Actors Exploit PLCs in Multiple Sectors, Including U.S. Water and Wastewater Systems Facilities - SUMMARY. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, National Security Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Israel National Cyber Directorate-hereafter referred to as "The authoring agencies"-are ...
11 months ago Cisa.gov
Majority of Gao's Cybersecurity Recommendations Not Implemented by Federal Agencies - The Government Accountability Office has recently reported that federal agencies have been slow to implement a majority of the recommendations it made for improving the cybersecurity of federal agencies. Despite the implementation progress at some ...
1 year ago Securityweek.com
Best Strategies for Avoiding Security Breaches in the U.S. Federal Agencies - U.S. federal agencies are an appealing target for malicious actors and hackers, so it is important for them to be equipped with the best tactics to prevent security breaches and data losses. In this article, we will cover how hackers use legitimate ...
1 year ago Heimdalsecurity.com
How Cloud Solutions Can Lead to Stronger, More Secure IT Operations - Cloud services, which offer tools such as networks, servers, and data storage, can help federal agencies deliver better IT services while minimizing costs. Without adequate security measures, these services can expose agencies to cyberattacks. The ...
8 months ago Cyberdefensemagazine.com
Critical insights into Australia's supply chain risk landscape - Australian organizations find themselves navigating a minefield of supply chain risks, with a surge in incidents stemming from multi-party breaches. These breaches are often caused by vulnerabilities in cloud or software providers and are emerging as ...
8 months ago Tripwire.com
States and Congress Wrestle With Cybersecurity After Iran Attacks Small Town Water Utilities - The tiny Aliquippa water authority in western Pennsylvania was perhaps the least-suspecting victim of an international cyberattack. Then it - along with several other water utilities - was struck by what federal authorities say are Iranian-backed ...
10 months ago Securityweek.com
ICS at Multiple US Water Facilities Targeted by Hackers Affiliated With Iranian Government - The hackers behind recent cyberattacks targeting industrial control systems at water facilities in the US are affiliated with the Iranian government, according to security agencies in the United States and Israel. The FBI, CISA, the NSA, the EPA and ...
11 months ago Securityweek.com
Security Alert! CISA Reports Refund Scam Targeting Federal Agencies Through Remote Management Software - The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently issued an alert to federal agencies about a refund scam targeting them through remote management software. According to the alert, hackers have been using the remote software to ...
1 year ago Therecord.media
US Federal Agencies Miss Deadline for Incident Response Requirements - Although US federal agencies have made progress in preparing for and responding to cyber threats, too many have failed to meet the deadline to implement incident response capabilities required by law, according to the US Government Accountability ...
11 months ago Infosecurity-magazine.com
Dozens of Rogue California Police Agencies Still Sharing Driver Locations with Anti-Abortion States - SAN FRANCISCO-California Attorney General Rob Bonta should crack down on police agencies that still violate Californians' privacy by sharing automated license plate reader information with out-of-state government agencies, putting abortion seekers ...
9 months ago Eff.org
Iran-Israel Cyber War Goes Global - Iran's cyber conflict with Israel has reached global proportions, with cyberattacks against businesses and government agencies on other continents causing arguably as much ruckus as those in Israel itself. While US military bases and international ...
9 months ago Darkreading.com
In Cyberattacks, Iran Shows Signs of Improved Hacking Capabilities - You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load. A monthslong hacking campaign targeted the governments of regional rivals, including Israel, and marked a ...
11 months ago Nytimes.com
How Government Agencies Can Leverage Grants to Shore Up Cybersecurity - COMMENTARY. Since the pandemic forced unprecedented adoption of remote access and delivery of government services, telehealth, and education, cybersecurity has rapidly shot to the top of priority lists for IT leaders. What was once a shiny object ...
6 months ago Darkreading.com
GAO: Federal Agencies Yet to Fully Implement Incident Response Capabilities - US federal agencies have made progress in implementing mature incident response plans, but many are still steps away from fully achieving this goal, a new report from the Government Accountability Office shows. According to GAO's report, out of 23 ...
11 months ago Securityweek.com
US Agencies Failing to Oversee Ransomware Protections - The White House's goal of bolstering the cyber resilience of critical infrastructure is being threatened by US federal agencies' lack of oversight of ransomware protections, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. The GAO noted ...
9 months ago Infosecurity-magazine.com
The Unlikely Romance of Hackers and Government Suitors - The annual Hack the Capitol event brings together a diverse group of scientists, hackers, and policymakers to educate congressional staffers, scholars, and the press about the most critical cybersecurity challenges facing our nation. Hack the Capitol ...
11 months ago Darkreading.com
The US Needs To Follow Germany's Attack-Detection Mandate - To effectively combat these threats, the US needs to adopt a comprehensive and proactive approach to cybersecurity, similar to the one taken by Germany with its IT-SiG 2.0 mandate. The IT-SiG Approach Compared With the US's Current Capabilities One ...
11 months ago Darkreading.com
Top White House cyber aide says recent Iran hack on water system is call to tighten cybersecurity - WASHINGTON - A top White House national security official said recent cyber attacks by Iranian hackers on U.S. water authorities - as well as a separate spate of ransomware attacks on the health care industry - should be seen as a call to action by ...
11 months ago Apnews.com
Top White House Cyber Aide Says Recent Iran Hack on Water System Is Call to Tighten Cybersecurity - A top White House national security official said recent cyber attacks by Iranian hackers on US water authorities - as well as a separate spate of ransomware attacks on the health care industry - should be seen as a call to action by utilities and ...
11 months ago Securityweek.com
CISA Directs Federal Agencies to Immediately Mitigate Significant Risk From Russian State-Sponsored Cyber Threat - WASHINGTON - Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency publicly issued Emergency Directive 24-02 in response to a recent campaign by Russian state-sponsored cyber actor Midnight Blizzard targeting Microsoft corporate email accounts ...
7 months ago Cisa.gov
CISA orders agencies impacted by Microsoft hack to mitigate risks - CISA has issued a new emergency directive ordering U.S. federal agencies to address risks resulting from the breach of multiple Microsoft corporate email accounts by the Russian APT29 hacking group. It requires them to investigate potentially ...
7 months ago Bleepingcomputer.com
Iran-linked hackers claim to leak troves of documents from Israeli hospital - A hacker group allegedly linked to Iran claimed to have leaked thousands of medical records from an Israeli hospital, including those of Israeli soldiers. In a cyberattack on Ziv Medical Center in the city of Safed, near the border with Syria and ...
11 months ago Therecord.media
Victory! Grand Jury Finds Sacramento Cops Illegally Shared Driver Data - For the past year, EFF has been sounding the alarm about police in California illegally sharing drivers' location data with anti-abortion states, putting abortion seekers and providers at risk of prosecution. We thus applaud the Sacramento County ...
4 months ago Eff.org

Latest Cyber News


Cyber Trends (last 7 days)


Trending Cyber News (last 7 days)