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Florida Water Treatment System Cybersecurity Hack

Written by Michael K. Hamilton | Sep 27, 2023 9:13:31 PM

The FBI and Secret Service are investigating a hack on a water treatment system in Oldsmar, FL, in early February 2021. Located in the Tampa Bay area, the incident occurred after an outdated computer system was breached via an insecure TeamViewer connection. As the details of the breach unfold, this is becoming one of the first infrastructure breaches that experts have been warning about.

Critical Insight's Mike Hamilton, CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), and Jake Milstein, CMO, held an Urgent Panel Discussion with Q&A to go through the details of the breach, what should have been done and what to do to avoid future similar exploits. 

Water Treatment Systems and Cybersecurity

This hack demonstrated how many vulnerable systems are open to exploitation by opportunistic actors. It also showed that hacks like this don't have to be very sophisticated, but can be very dangerous to public safety because of poor or non-existing security systems and planning.

The breach raises questions about how the attacker got in and whether there will be copycat attacks. The discussion in the video replay above panel of InfoSec experts who have been working with water districts for years and warning of just these types of attacks. The panel discussed:

  • What we know and its implications
  • How to Use the AWIA “Emergency Response Plan” to mitigate potential risks and improve situational awareness