November 29, 2023 at 08:12AM
CISA is tackling a cyber attack on Pennsylvania’s Municipal Water Authority by the Iranian-affiliated Cyber Av3ngers, who exploited Unitronics PLCs. The water facility is now manual with no drinking water risk. CISA advises strengthened cybersecurity, while Cyber Av3ngers continues targeting critical infrastructure.
Meeting Takeaways: Cyber Attack on Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa
– CISA is addressing a cyber attack involving the exploitation of Unitronics PLCs at the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa in Pennsylvania by Cyber Av3ngers, an Iranian-backed hacktivist group.
– The cyber attack targeted PLCs connected to water and wastewater systems (WWS), specifically Unitronics PLC at a U.S. water facility.
– The municipality’s water authority has taken the system offline and switched to manual operations; no risk to drinking water or water supply currently known.
– CyberAv3ngers managed to hijack a booster station serving Raccoon and Potter Townships, showcasing the vulnerability of WWS facilities to such attacks.
– CISA recommends several mitigation strategies: changing default passwords of Unitronics PLCs, enforcing multi-factor authentication, disconnecting PLCs from the internet, backing up logic and configurations for quick recovery, and applying updates.
– Cyber Av3ngers previously targeted critical infrastructure, claiming breaches in 10 water treatment stations in Israel and an attack on Orpak Systems.
– The group has declared every piece of equipment “Made In Israel” as a legitimate target for its attacks.
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