CISA confirms hackers targeted over 100 US water systems during July
CISA reports that hackers targeted over 100 U.S. water and wastewater systems, likely using AI-assisted scripts to exploit programmable logic controllers. While the attacks caused operational disruptions, they did not compromise the safety of water supplies.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the growing vulnerability of critical infrastructure to cyberattacks and the emerging role of AI in offensive cyber operations.
U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA said it has observed cyberattacks targeting over 100 internet-exposed systems across the U.S. water and wastewater sector, amid a wave of hacks targeting American critical infrastructure.
The number of affected systems provides new context to the scale of the ongoing cyberattacks targeting water providers in Michigan, Minnesota, and at least five other states.
The federal agency, which oversees cybersecurity defense and critical infrastructure protections, said in an advisory that the attacks have largely targeted programmable logic controllers (PLCs), which are used to control physical systems and machinery across water providers, energy systems, and other parts of critical infrastructure.
In recent weeks, hackers have targeted PLCs made by several manufacturers, including Rockwell, Schneider Electric , and, more recently, Siemens . CISA previously said that the cyberattacks are relying in part on AI tools that rely on public information to develop scripts capable of targeting vulnerable Siemens PLCs.
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