An unidentified attacker accessed the computer systems of a water treatment facility in the US, altering sodium hydroxide levels in the potable water supply. With attacks on critical infrastructure increasingly common, this incident should not come as a surprise. Basic cyber-security hygiene could have lessened the likelihood of accessing the systems, but the network of the facility was not adequately secured. Simple attack techniques took advantage of the plant’s security weaknesses, including poor passwords shared across the plant, and widespread use of end-of-life software. These problems are very likely present in other water treatment plants, as well as other critical facilities. This incident casts a spotlight on the need to appropriately secure critical infrastructure systems, which may be mistakenly thought of as well guarded.
Most Recent Flipbooks
Weekly Intelligence Summary 9th July
A vulnerability in Kaseya’s virtual system/server administrator (VSA) software has been exploited to deliver the “REvil” ransomware to multiple managed service providers.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 2nd July 2021
The 14th Five Year Plan (FYP) adopted by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in March 2021 has laid out key areas of focus for the country that are likely to prompt nation-state cyber espionage.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 25 June
Several Clop members were arrested in association with money laundering, and the officials seized infrastructure the group has used in ransomware attacks globally.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 18 June
A newly identified advanced persistent threat (APT) group, “Agrius”, has been exposed as the perpetrator of destructive attacks against Israeli organizations since late 2020.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 11 June
The notorious Russia-based ransomware group “REvil” (aka Sodinokibi) has been blamed for the latest high-profile ransomware attack, on the world’s largest meat supplier.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 04 June
The latest work of the notorious Russian state-associated “NOBELIUM” threat group is an email phishing campaign against multiple countries and sectors.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 28 May
US President Joe Biden recently signed an executive order (EO) aimed at strengthening network security for US federal government departments, and agencies and contractors working with them.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 21 May
A “Conti” ransomware attack on Ireland’s healthcare system, the Health Service Executive (HSE), significantly delayed the delivery of medical laboratory results and affected many outpatient services.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 14 May
Colonial Pipeline Company fell victim to a cyber attack that resulted in 5,500 miles of its US fuel pipelines being shut down, causing public distress and fears of fuel shortages.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 07 May
Security researchers discovered two unrelated cyber-threat campaigns targeting Microsoft SharePoint.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 23 April
The FBI made digital copies of malicious web-shells before removing them from hundreds of vulnerable servers in the US, without any warning to affected organizations.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 16 April
A cyber-espionage campaign was found targeting the Vietnamese military and government, as well as other sectors and some entities in Thailand and Central Asia.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 09 April
A user of the cybercriminal forum RaidForums has offered 533 million records of Facebook user data for only a few US dollars.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 02 April
Insurance provider CNA Financial has announced it was targeted in a cyber attack, later confirmed as involving the newly identified “Phoenix Cryptolocker” ransomware.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 26 March
The new Internet of Things (IoT) botnet ZHtrap has been turning devices it has infected into honeypots, in a novel technique that highlights yet another risk presented by exposed IoT devices.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 19 March
Four zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Servers have been linked to more than 30,000 cyber attacks taking place in the week following their discovery.
Weekly Intelligence Summary 12 March
A new round of software attacks has raised another red flag concerning supply-chain security and the prevalence of third-party supply-chain targeting.