Iranian Hackers Take Credit for Cyber Attack Targeting Bakersfield, Visalia, Chico Water Utilities

A human can go weeks without food. Water? Two or three days. That makes water perhaps the single most important part of any city's or town's infrastructure. On Sunday, we learned of a new attempt to exploit what may be some vulnerabilities in some water systems in California. An Iranian hacker group has claimed to have gained access to some of those key California water systems, but there's just one problem: They don't seem to have been able to get into any actual control systems, which might allow them to shut down or at least impede water production. At least, not yet.

An Iranian hacker group is claiming it infiltrated water systems serving several California cities in an apparent act of retaliation against the United States — though cybersecurity experts are casting doubt on whether the hackers can actually do any damage.
The group, known as Handala, alleged Thursday that it breached systems tied to Bakersfield, Visalia and Chico, posting screenshots that appeared to show residents’ water bills. The hackers said the cyberattack was payback after US forces struck two reservoirs in Iran.

Here's the interesting bit:

California Water Service said it found no evidence that its systems were compromised.
“We have conducted a preliminary scan of our internal IT and OT networks and have no signs of any compromise within our IT, water production, and delivery systems at this time,” a spokesperson for CalWater told news site SJV Water.
An investigation is still underway, the spokesperson said.

The hacker group, in their statement, did note that they have gained control of some of the water systems, but had not as yet made any attempt to shut down the systems or do any other damage.

Wow: Iranian Regime Scolds Its Own State Media After It Ticks Off Trump, Indicates How Close Deal Is

Local authorities and the local media are, it seems, equally skeptical about actual damage done to the control systems, although it does look as though there has been some breach. SJV Water, a news site that covers water issues in the San Joaquin Valley area, had this to say:

A review by cyber experts, using Dataminr, an AI tool, shows “…that the group reached a GPS correction server and a customer billing database. Neither system controls water treatment or distribution, and Dataminr states that OT or ICS disruption is not confirmed in this incident,” according to an article on the website Security.

It's a troubling story nonetheless. Our major metropolitan areas, from coast to coast, are dependent on water systems, not just for drinking water but for cooking, cleaning, and a host of other uses. The fastest way to bring a major city to its knees would be to shut off the water; a person can go days or weeks without food, but only a matter of 24 to 36 hours without water - less, if the weather is hot and dry, as it often is in places like the San Joaquin Valley.

Criminal hackers, be they working for another government or just independents looking to make trouble, are a major threat. In this instance, the hackers, be they Handala (or any Iranian group) or not, did manage to gain access to part of the Bakersfield, Visalia, and Chico systems; if they can do that, who's to say they couldn't also gain access to control systems?

Suddenly being on a household well seems amazingly comforting.

Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.

Help us report the truth about the Trump administration's decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.