Securing Vital Utilities: The Remote Hack of a Municipal Water Plant

When Code Becomes Physical: The Water Plant Breach

In 2021, a hacker gained remote access to a water treatment plant in Florida and attempted to increase the levels of Sodium Hydroxide (lye) in the water to dangerous levels. This is a chilling example of an Industrial Control System (ICS) attack. Kian Technologies uses this case to teach the critical nature of Infrastructure Security.

The Vulnerability: TeamViewer and Weak Passwords

The attacker exploited a Remote Desktop (TeamViewer) software that was still installed on a plant operator's computer. The software used a weak, shared password and did not have a firewall separating it from the SCADA systems that control chemical levels.

• The Incident: A plant operator saw his mouse moving on its own as the hacker changed chemical settings in real-time.
• The Save: Fortunately, the operator manually reverted the changes before the toxic water could enter the distribution system.

The Kian Defense Blueprint

Infrastructure security requires a Physical Gap between the public internet and the control network. We recommend disabling all non-essential remote access and implementing strict Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). This case study serves as a warning for all smart-city and utility managers in India.

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