CISA released an urgent message warning water utilities to disconnect their logic controllers from the internet in the face of rising cyberattacks.
The hacks target internet-facing programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that control equipment and allow machinery to communicate. They monitor and control the water pressure, chemical dosing, and other factors to ensure the water is safe.
Many of the PLCs are apparently open to the internet and use default credentials, allowing a remote attacker to easily take them over.
I assume it is this CISA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersecurity_and_Infrastructure_Security_Agency
Right. Why would you do this? Monitoring being available on the Intranet, of course. But controllers on the open internet?
Might as well really focus on ease of use and just make a live website with one big button that says “cut off all electricity and turn all the water into poison, lol”
And guarded by default passwords
And the user support AI the website automatically opens in in popup can just tell you if you tell it you’re the King of Water and you forgot the account info.
It is also very easy to airgap monitoring.