A water treatment plant (illustration). – YP BO / NEWSCOM / SIPA
This is a big alert on the vulnerability of infrastructure. A hacker illegally entered the computer network of a water supply plant in Florida, giving instructions to increase the concentration of a chemical additive to a dangerous level, local police reported Monday. .
On Monday, February 8, 2021, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference to address the unlawful intrusion to the City of Oldsmar’s water treatment plant system. Please refer to the YouTube link below to see the press conference. https://t.co/NjQaVBj5E6 pic.twitter.com/P1g8aWRbft
— Pinellas SO (@SheriffPinellas) February 8, 2021
Fortunately, the hack was immediately noticed and a correction was made so that no local consumer – in a suburb of the big city of Tampa – was in danger, said Bob Gualtieri, the county sheriff. by Pinellas. But this cyberattack came to illustrate the danger that hackers can pose to important infrastructures in the United States, added the sheriff.
Levels multiplied by 100
The malicious intrusion into the computer system of the Oldsmar water treatment plant was noticed on Friday by an IT technician, who was surprised to see someone moving their mouse cursor remotely, going to click from way to change the sodium hydroxide content of water by a factor of 100. This substance, crucial for controlling an alkaline environment or regulating the acidity of water, is corrosive and dangerous at high content.