The national security of the United States will remain in constant jeopardy until the installed government is no longer in power. Joe Biden is the laughing stock of the world as America's enemies increase their attacks.
The Environmental Protection Agency has one enforcement warning urging water systems to take immediate action to protect the country's drinking water from foreign cyber attacks.
Cyber attacks on water utilities across the country are becoming more frequent and serious, the agency announced Monday.
EPA officials warn About 70 percent of utilities inspected by federal officials in the past year violated standards intended to limit cyber threats.
As nation states, including Russia and Iran, have impacted water systems of all sizes, even smaller water systems are being urged to improve protection against cyber attacks.
Water systems typically rely heavily on computer software to operate treatment plants and distribution systems.
Cybersecurity waters are falling short because those who manage the systems fail to change default passwords or block access to the system for former employees, the EPA said in the alert.
The agency notes that a cyberattack on U.S. water systems could result in damage to pumps and valves, interruptions to water treatment and storage, and alteration of chemical levels to dangerous levels.
EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe blasted water suppliers for failing to maintain cyber integrity.
“In many cases, systems are not doing what they should be doing, which is having completed a risk assessment of their vulnerabilities, including cybersecurity, and ensuring that plan is in place and informing the way they do business,” McCabe said. .
Individuals and groups have been targeting water supplier networks for centuries, often attacking websites. Now attackers are targeting the operations of utilities and governments plan to tap the supply of safe water to homes and businesses.
China, Russia and Iran are “actively seeking the opportunity to eliminate U.S. critical infrastructure, including water and wastewater,” McCabe continued. “We want to make sure we let people know that, 'Hey, we're having a lot of problems here.'”
In Januarya hack linked to a Russian “hacktivist” group caused the water system of a small Texas town to flood.
“Cyber Av3ngers,” a group affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, targeted several organizations late last year, including the water supplier of a small town in Pennsylvania. The attack forced the water supplier to switch from a remote pump to manual operation. The hackers targeted a device produced by Israel and used by the utility company in the aftermath of the latest war between Israel and Hamas.
An estimated 150,000 community water suppliers serve small towns and cities across the country.
On Monday, the White House sent a message a letter to US governors, warning that cyber attacks targeting water systems are being launched across the country. The White House and the EPA invited state officials to a meeting scheduled for Thursday to discuss how to improve digital defenses for the thousands of utilities.
The EPA is also creating a waste sector cybersecurity task force to devise strategies to defend against the threat.
The letter also accuses the Chinese-sponsored hacking group Volt Typhoon of targeting critical infrastructure sectors such as drinking water in the US, as an example of the threat.
