Hacker Tried To Contaminate Florida’s Water Supply via Cyberattack

According to several sources, an unknown hacker has recently tried to break into Florida’s water supply (digitally) just to contaminate the water with harmful chemicals. The cyberattack took place on Monday 8 February 2021. The guy increased the levels of Sodium Hydroxide but the officials later reversed them immediately. Currently, no one’s found affected and it’s safe to say that the area is pretty safe despite such unforgivable actions.

How The Cyberattack Came Into Light?

A computer operator of the Oldsmar water treatment system noticed on Friday afternoon that someone is remotely accessing the plant’s controls. The operator watched the mouse pointer move between various functions for several minutes. Soon it opened the controls for adding sodium hydroxide to the water. This chemical is also known as lye and is used in drain cleaners.

It’s added in very small amounts to control the acidity and remove the metals from the water before it goes to consumers. The chemical isn’t harmful if consumed in small amounts, but is life-risking if consumed in considerably high amounts. Since the levels of this chemical increased, the incident became alarming. It’s considered as a cyberattack on the United States’ infrastructure.

The hacker raised the input level from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million — 100 times normal — before exiting the system. It was his misfortune that he was caught right away.

A Sigh Of Relief

According to the sources, water users were never threatened. Because even if this hack wasn’t spotted immediately, it would have taken at least 24 hours for the water with high sodium hydroxide levels to reach the consumers. Furthermore, safety mechanisms would have alerted officials regarding the change in water quality.

Ongoing Cyberattack Investigation

FBI and US Secret Service were called in to help investigate, but so far there were no suspects. Investigators don’t know whether the hack came from within or outside the United States, or why Oldsmar was targeted. Water systems, like other public utility systems, are a part of the nation’s critical infrastructure and can be vulnerable targets when someone desires to adversely affect public safety. The targeted water facility stored water for about 15,000 people. It’s known that the intruder was active for about 5 minutes. As soon as he exited the system, the plant operator immediately reversed the actions and restored the old chemical settings.

Since the hacker is still not caught, no arrests have been made this far. Currently, no one’s aware or informed about who’s responsible for this cyberattack.

Conclusion

The cyberattack has informed the world that the US infrastructure is vulnerable to cyberattacks, which is a serious issue for the nation. Who knows if the guy is on a mission, or was just messing with the online system. It’s serious because maybe it’s a team wanting to harm the nation, or perhaps the enemies might be planning something big and this was a mere trailer. Nothing’s clear, but the concerned authorities need to tighten up the security because no one knows if there’s more on the way! Keep reading fameaside for more interesting and latest information.