Hack attempt in Israel highlights need for cybersecurity investment

摘要

The recent thwarting of an attempted hack into an Israeli pumping station that threatened to dump excess chlorine into the water supply has reinforced the importance of cybersecurity. The origins of the attack, which happened in early April, are unclear, but the incident has brought into focus the importance of both training personnel to respond to such incursions and in maintaining robust IT systems to defend against cyber attack. The critical nature of water infrastructure makes utilities an exposed target for ambitious hackers and cyber criminals (see GWI July 2018, p46). The threats facing utilities include theft of metering information, denial of service (DoS) attacks disabling a server network and the infiltration of control systems with potentially catastrophic consequences. The incident in Israel is an example of one near miss but other scenarios might involve hackers taking control of pumps and valves to disrupt pressure and destroy sections of infrastructure.