Federal investigators are examining a coordinated cyberattack that targeted more than 30 community water systems in Minnesota earlier this week, with U.S. officials suspecting the involvement of hackers aligned with Iran.
The FBI confirmed it is actively engaged with victims of the intrusions, which primarily affected programmable logic controllers used to remotely monitor water infrastructure. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, FBI, and Environmental Protection Agency issued a joint warning that attackers are targeting internet-exposed industrial controllers at water and wastewater utilities, with incidents reported in at least seven states. Minnesota officials said the state's water supply was not compromised, though some systems were forced to switch to manual operations.
The incidents coincide with resumed strikes between the U.S. and Iran following the collapse of a June ceasefire, with both sides recently targeting water infrastructure in military operations.