Keeping Water Treatment Facilities Safe from Hackers

Water treatment facilities are essential for purifying water and managing wastewater for cities and towns across the world. They provide clean water for countless residents and process all wastewater, keeping everything sanitary along the way.

With this sanitation, the process involves many chemicals, which can be dangerous in the wrong hands. If a hacker breaches one of these facilities, they can alter processes to be potentially deadly.

However, with the right systems and protocols in place, facilities can protect themselves and the general public from hackers.

Instances of Hacks

Cybercriminal activity is becoming more common. People rely on technology for information and resources, especially at times when social interaction is limited. As a result, there has been a 36% increase in malware and ransomware attacks during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

For water treatment facilities, these breaches could be deadly if officials don’t catch the hack in time, particularly as water treatment facilities transfer water from sources like lakes and streams that can be contaminated with chemicals already.

In Oldsmar, Florida, cybercriminals attempted to alter the city’s water supply to become dangerous and potentially deadly. Through a remote access system, the cybercriminals changed the treatment facility’s sodium hydroxide (lye) levels.

With a typical level of 100 parts per million, lye helps with pH control. However, the hackers raised that number to 11,100 ppm the effects of which could have been deadly. Fortunately, employees caught the change and were able to revert everything back to normal before anything could happen.

A similar attack happened in Israel in 2020 when cybercriminals attempted to take down the computers and systems that controlled a specific water facility. This attack was highly coordinated, with the hackers routing their breach through the United States and Europe. The Israeli government quickly thwarted the effort.

However, these instances speak to the potential harm that cybercriminals can cause to water treatment facilities and an entire region.

Solutions for Facilities

When it comes to the weaknesses of wastewater treatment and water purification plants, a lack of cybersecurity is what opens up the facilities to attack. To combat breaches and other cybercriminal activity, military-grade security tools are vital for protecting data during transit. These tools provide protection for data and systems at every level of the facility.

It’s also important to make the distinction between older and newer facilities. Older water treatment plants are likely to be the most lacking in cybersecurity tools. They typically don’t have the latest technology, making them more vulnerable to attacks. The breaches that happened in Oldsmar and Israel could happen anywhere.

To effectively take action, managers must follow a few steps to ensure their facilities are secure, protecting all networks, systems, and data in the process.

First, a virtual private network (VPN) is essential. These networks provide secure connections while working in-person or remotely. They make it harder for cybercriminals to infiltrate the system.

It’s equally important for managers to create a proper IT department for the facility. Having cybersecurity-focused infrastructure with newer tech that can detect and prevent threats will take care of breaches before they become an issue. These systems can also immediately alert staff of any suspicious activity.

Finally, training employees to recognize suspicious behavior is also crucial. They should be able to understand the signs of phishing emails and scams as well as any changed system settings.

Additionally, offboarding is just as important as onboarding. When an employee leaves the company, their access codes and passwords must be changed to limit access after termination, dismissal, or a career change.

Protection for Water Supplies and Public Health

These steps are a gateway to a safer world. After increased cyberattacks have made the digital landscape more dangerous, the above protocols can help combat those breaches. Then, water treatment facilities can operate without concern for cybercrimes. Newer technology can track and prevent breaches in real-time.

Protecting public health in a digital world is both possible and practical. Water treatment plants are essential for sanitation and supplying everyone in the area with clean water. With the right approach, all facilities can operate smoothly and securely.