Officials say all water systems operating safely after attacks
Michigan on Saturday joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on water systems, with officials saying nine Michigan systems were impacted and earlier reports indicated over 30 systems in Minnesota were targeted earlier this week, according to the Associated Press.
The attacks, which are under investigation, come amid federal warnings that Iranian hackers have been focusing on such systems. The U.S. government has issued alerts about Iranian-linked cyber actors targeting operational technology at water systems.
Dale George, the director of communications at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, said the state received a federal cyber alert Tuesday about attempts to tamper with operational technology at water systems. Soon after, the state received “a small number of reports from Michigan communities indicating activity consistent with what federal agencies described,” George said. He later said that nine systems were impacted.
George said all systems were operating “safely.”
The reports in Michigan surfaced after the state received the federal alert earlier this week. The source of the attacks remains under investigation.