Cybersecurity agency warns that US water utilities are vulnerable to hackers after Pennsylvania attack

A file photo of workmen preparing to replace older water pipes with a new copper one in Newark, New Jersey. While there is no known risk to the Pennsylvania towns’ drinking water or water supply, the cyberdefense agency urged water and wastewater utilities across the United States to take steps to protect their facilities. — AP

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania: Hackers are targeting industrial control systems widely used by water and sewage-treatment utilities, potentially threatening water supplies, the top US cyberdefense agency said after a Pennsylvania water authority was hacked.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued the warning Tuesday evening, three days after hacktivists shut down a piece of equipment at the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. The hack effectively idled pumping equipment in a remote station that regulates water pressure for customers in two nearby towns. Crews switched to manual backup, officials said.