A hacker attempted to taint the drinking water in San Francisco in early January, a new report revealed.
Data from the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, which was obtained by NBC News, showed that a hacker managed to obtain the TeamViewer credentials of a former employee for a water supplier in the city. The hack, which occured on Jan 15, was discovered the next day.
The agency report said the hacker attempted to taint the city’s drinking water. However, the cyberattack did not result in any system failure.
If the hack was successful, it could have led to tainted waters, which could make residents sick due to the presence of E.coli.
February Hacking Attempt
The January hack came nearly a month before a different hacker gained remote access to the Oldsmar’s water treatment facility and attempted to contaminate the water with sodium hydroxide. At the time of the cyberattack, a worker at the plant was able to reverse the changes.
Other water treatment plants have since been notified of any potential hacking attempt on their systems ever since the devastating 9/11 attack.
“Every water treatment facility regulated by the EPA did that audit and of course it’s a confidential report but… every water supplier is supposed to be working toward the goals set by the DHS based on that assessment report,” Rod Colon, district manager of the North Springs Improvement District in Florida, told Fox Business.
