Not bank accounts, hackers are going after essential services; warns US officials

US officials have warned against hackers targeting essential services like water utilities. In a press release shared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agencies warned critical infrastructure asset owners and operators that malicious cyber actors (MCAs) are conducting cyber attacks targeting Operational Technology (OT) devices, including Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), specifically MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 series. “Since 27 July 2026, Water and Wastewater Sector (WWS) utility companies in at least seven states have reported incidents to the FBI, and some of that activity degraded water operations,” the release said. US officials warn hackers are going after essential servicesExplaining how the hackers target and breach essential services system, the FBI said that the threat actors first gain remote access to internet-facing devices.