Water utilities in South Dakota and Georgia have recently announced the discovery of cyberattacks on their systems. These incidents are the latest in a campaign allegedly linked to Iranian hackers. The attacks are believed to have begun in late 2020.
According to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), at least 12 US states have reported similar incidents. The states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. The affected utilities are reportedly using a combination of open-source and proprietary software.
The cyberattacks are focused on operational technology, which controls the flow of water and other critical infrastructure. The attackers are using tactics such as spear phishing and malware to gain unauthorized access to the systems. The US government has issued a warning to the affected utilities, urging them to implement additional security measures.