HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A small western Pennsylvania water authority was just one of multiple organizations breached in the United States by Iran-affiliated hackers who targeted a specific industrial control device because it is Israeli-made, U.S. and Israeli authorities say.
The group targeted the Unitronics devices at least since Nov. 22, it said.
The advisory notes that Unitronics devices ship with a default password, a practice experts discourage as it makes them more vulnerable to hacking.
It says the hackers likely accessed affected devices by “exploiting cybersecurity weaknesses, including poor password security and exposure to the internet.”Experts say many water utilities have paid insufficient attention to cybersecurity.
Americans must know their drinking water and other basic infrastructure is safe from “nation-state adversaries and terrorist organizations,” U.S. Sens.
Persons:
Matthew Mottes, CISA, Unitronics —, John Fetterman, Bob Casey, Chris Deluzio, Av3ngers, Sergey Shykevich, Unitronics, Biden
Organizations:
FBI, Environmental Protection Agency, Infrastructure Security Agency, Directorate, Associated Press, Municipal Water Authority, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, ”, U.S . Justice Department, U.S . Rep
Locations:
HARRISBURG, Pa, Pennsylvania, United States, Iran, Israeli, Aliquippa, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Sens, Missouri , Arkansas, Iowa