Current:Home > BackIranian cyber criminals targeting Israeli technology hack into Pennsylvania water system-LoTradeCoin
Iranian cyber criminals targeting Israeli technology hack into Pennsylvania water system
View Date:2024-12-23 20:57:43
Federal authorities are investigating a computer hack of a Pennsylvania utility provider that is believed to have been targeted by an Iranian-linked cyber group looking to disrupt Israeli-made technology in the U.S.
On Saturday, the Iranian group Cyber Av3ngers hacked into water authority infrastructure in Aliquippa, a city about 18 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, local authorities confirmed. The group took partial control of a system that regulates water pressure — and one that includes technology manufactured in Israel, according to water authority board chairman Matthew Mottes.
"This is very direct. It's using the internet as a weapon," said Max Kilger, a cyber security professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio who has closely followed the news surrounding the Pennsylvania case.
The water pressure system, which uses a Unitronics computing device, was quickly disabled after an alarm notified workers of the threat, and crews were able to maintain water pressure along the line, according to Mottes.
Across the country, the federal government is investigating a handful of other facilities hacked by the Iranian group, two people who were granted anonymity to discuss details that had not yet been made public told Politico.
In Pennsylvania, hackers who took control of the Aliquippa water pressure system announced they were targeting technology made in Israel, Politico reported. Photos from the site of the cyber attack published by Politico show hackers displayed an on-screen message saying, "Every equipment ‘Made in Israel’ is Cyber Av3ngers legal target," referring to Unitronics, an Israeli supplier of control and valve systems.
The attack in Pennsylvania thankfully did not impact "more critical components" that determine the amount of chemicals added to the water supply, Kilger sad.
"There's that much more potential for harm. So this should be a wake-up call," he said, adding that the pump system computing device was "low-hanging fruit."
"Attacks on our critical infrastructure like water are unacceptable," U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio said following the incident, urging bipartisan support for "shoring up America's defenses" against cyber criminals.
Management at the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa was not able to be reached for contact.
Aliquippa has a population of about 9,200.
What is Cyber Av3ngers?
The cyber criminal group Cyber Av3ngers has targeted several water utility facilities in Israel, including most recently following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
Now, it appears the group's most recent round of cyber attacks are targeting Israeli water infrastructure technology at U.S. facilities, Kilger said.
"They've been around for a while, but these are sort of their recent attacks," Kilger said, adding that group is probably "trying to find other water systems that have equipment coming from Unitronics."
The group is able to locate facilities in the U.S. that use Unitronics computing devices by hunting for and identifying online data that's specific to that brand, according to Kilger.
In an online forum on the Unitronics website, at least two users reported similar incidents involving Unitronics technology, with one user posting a photo of an on-screen message matching the one found at the Pennsylvania facility.
Unitronics did not respond to a request for comment.
What motivates cyber criminals?
In the case of Cyber Av3ngers, the group is clearly motivated by the Israel-Hamas war that broke out last month, Kilger said. The Iranian government, which the group is believed to be tied to, has long sided with Hamas in conflicts involving Israel, acting in opposition to the U.S.
More broadly, Kilger said cyber criminals' motivations fall into six different areas:
- Money
- Ego
- Entertainment
- Political cause
- Entrance to a social group
- Status
"This one is very definitely cause," Kilger said, referring to the group's message that it intends to target equipment made in Israel.
Around the world, critical infrastructure is an "obvious" target for all hackers who want to disrupt and negatively impact physical processes people depend on, said Charles Henderson, IBM's global head of security threat research.
"Criminals first, then nation-states start asking, 'What can I do that has a real-world impact, that has the most dramatic effect?'" he said.
In 2021, the Colonial Pipeline was believed to have been the victim of criminal hackers, causing fuel-related panic along the East Coast, which is served by the pipeline.
Other water authorities respond to Aliquippa hack
This week, authorities in Morgantown, West Virginia, responded to concerns about the security of their water systems, saying they do not use the same technology targeted in Aliquippa, located about 90 miles north.
In Texas, forensic investigators are looking into a Tuesday attack against North Texas Municipal Water District.
Ransomware group Daixin Team claimed responsibility for the attack, the Dallas Morning News reported. Water service wasn't disrupted for the district's more than 2 million customers, the outlet said.
Consumer in the U.S. shouldn't be overly worried, Henderson said, because "there are a lot of people in the world who work very diligently" in the realm of cyber security, and are constantly strengthening defenses.
Contributing: Chrissy Suttles, Beaver County Times
veryGood! (366)
Related
- Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
- Wisconsin Republicans back bill outlawing race- and diversity-based university financial aid
- Parts of Gaza look like a wasteland from space. Look for the misshapen buildings and swaths of gray
- China’s top diplomat visits Washington to help stabilize ties and perhaps set up a Biden-Xi summit
- Cleveland Browns’ Hakeem Adeniji Shares Stillbirth of Baby Boy Days Before Due Date
- One trade idea for eight Super Bowl contenders at NFL's deal deadline
- Man indicted on murder charge 23 years after girl, mother disappeared in West Virginia
- Snow piles up in North Dakota as region’s first major snowstorm of the season moves eastward
- Mike Williams Instagram post: Steelers' WR shades Aaron Rodgers 'red line' comments
- Coyotes' Travis Dermott took stand that led NHL to reverse Pride Tape ban. Here's why.
Ranking
- Chris Wallace will leave CNN 3 years after defecting from 'Fox News Sunday'
- Will Ivanka Trump have to testify at her father’s civil fraud trial? Judge to hear arguments Friday
- Experts reconstruct face of teenage Inca girl sacrificed over 500 years ago in Peru
- AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa
- Jake Paul's only loss led him to retool the team preparing him to face Mike Tyson
- Duran Duran reunites with Andy Taylor for best song in a decade on 'Danse Macabre' album
- Teachers’ advocates challenge private school voucher program in South Carolina
- US strikes back at Iranian-backed groups who attacked troops in Iraq, Syria: Pentagon
Recommendation
-
Louisiana House greenlights Gov. Jeff Landry’s tax cuts
-
Mauricio Umansky and Emma Slater Break Silence on Romance Rumors After Kyle Richards' Criticism
-
Abortions in the U.S. rose slightly after states began imposing bans and restrictions post-Roe, study finds
-
Cost of repairs and renovations adds thousands of dollars to homeownership
-
John Krasinski Revealed as People's Sexiest Man Alive 2024
-
Judge finds former Ohio lawmaker guilty of domestic violence in incident involving his wife
-
Jay-Z talks 'being a beacon,' settles $500K or lunch with him debate
-
Northwestern State football cancels 2023 season after safety Ronnie Caldwell's death