Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

[Missourian]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

 

[Dekster]

scary someone would do that but I am guessing it really isn't as big of a threat as one would imagine. I know our city water plant takes samples to the lab for testing routinely as part of the daily process. I say this as someone who has had coal ask spilled into their water supply and the system got it all taken care of (allegedly)

 

[Damaged Eagle]

COVID hasn't been killing off enough of the population for the progressives.

The progressives want more choices when they go to pick up a date at the local morgue.

*****CHUCKLE*****

 

[wamose]

It was probably commies. Either Chinese or Russian or maybe even Democrats. These are the only kind of people fucked up enough to kill their own people.

 

[martybegan]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

If they didn't notice the increased flow, they would have noticed the increased chemical consumption via the levels on the storage tanks, they probably would have looked for a leak first.

Also pH meters on the plant outlet would have gone berserk before water could have reached the distribution system.

 

[Unkotare]

Wake up call.

 

[Missourian]

Wake up call.

That's what I'm thinking.

If they can do here...where else are they attempting to tinker with formulas?

 

[Damaged Eagle]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

If they didn't notice the increased flow, they would have noticed the increased chemical consumption via the levels on the storage tanks, they probably would have looked for a leak first.

Also pH meters on the plant outlet would have gone berserk before water could have reached the distribution system.

That would depend on whether those readings can be tampered with or not within the computer program.

*****SMILE*****

 

[night_son]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

Sounds like an act of war . . .

 

[martybegan]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

If they didn't notice the increased flow, they would have noticed the increased chemical consumption via the levels on the storage tanks, they probably would have looked for a leak first.

Also pH meters on the plant outlet would have gone berserk before water could have reached the distribution system.

View attachment 455106

That would depend on whether those readings can be tampered with or not within the computer program.

*****SMILE*****

Readouts are usually hard coded and are more difficult to hack into, you need programmer level access to mess with the tags for those items. What the hacker did was get into the remote access software and played with a pump slide that is probably changeable by any operator with access to the system.

 

[Damaged Eagle]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

If they didn't notice the increased flow, they would have noticed the increased chemical consumption via the levels on the storage tanks, they probably would have looked for a leak first.

Also pH meters on the plant outlet would have gone berserk before water could have reached the distribution system.

View attachment 455106

That would depend on whether those readings can be tampered with or not within the computer program.

*****SMILE*****

Readouts are usually hard coded and are more difficult to hack into, you need programmer level access to mess with the tags for those items. What the hacker did was get into the remote access software and played with a pump slide that is probably changeable by any operator with access to the system.

But it could be done.

*****SMILE*****

 

[martybegan]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

If they didn't notice the increased flow, they would have noticed the increased chemical consumption via the levels on the storage tanks, they probably would have looked for a leak first.

Also pH meters on the plant outlet would have gone berserk before water could have reached the distribution system.

View attachment 455106

That would depend on whether those readings can be tampered with or not within the computer program.

*****SMILE*****

Readouts are usually hard coded and are more difficult to hack into, you need programmer level access to mess with the tags for those items. What the hacker did was get into the remote access software and played with a pump slide that is probably changeable by any operator with access to the system.

View attachment 455109

But it could be done.

*****SMILE*****

it would require probably another two levels of access, and would require them to know the programming language of the control system in question, as well as how the original programming was done.

Many industrial control systems use proprietary systems that very few people know how to manipulate, which lowers the number of people technically able to fuck with the inner workings of the controls.

All this guy had to do was hack the remote access software and move a slide bar.

 

[Damaged Eagle]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

If they didn't notice the increased flow, they would have noticed the increased chemical consumption via the levels on the storage tanks, they probably would have looked for a leak first.

Also pH meters on the plant outlet would have gone berserk before water could have reached the distribution system.

View attachment 455106

That would depend on whether those readings can be tampered with or not within the computer program.

*****SMILE*****

Readouts are usually hard coded and are more difficult to hack into, you need programmer level access to mess with the tags for those items. What the hacker did was get into the remote access software and played with a pump slide that is probably changeable by any operator with access to the system.

View attachment 455109

But it could be done.

*****SMILE*****

it would require probably another two levels of access, and would require them to know the programming language of the control system in question, as well as how the original programming was done.

Many industrial control systems use proprietary systems that very few people know how to manipulate, which lowers the number of people technically able to fuck with the inner workings of the controls.

All this guy had to do was hack the remote access software and move a slide bar.

I agree someone knowing how to manipulate the basics once hacked in is easy. That's just breaking into the monkey controls that anyone can use. Knowing how to reprogram the system in the control language (Cobol, ASCII, or some other language) requires knowledge of how the language works and where to look once in. At those levels it would limit the number of suspects capable of such a feat dramatically.

*****SMILE*****

 

[martybegan]

Well...this isn't terrifying at all...

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive...(lye)... to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.​

​

Hackers try to contaminate Florida town's water supply through computer breach

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday.

www.reuters.com

​

If they didn't notice the increased flow, they would have noticed the increased chemical consumption via the levels on the storage tanks, they probably would have looked for a leak first.

Also pH meters on the plant outlet would have gone berserk before water could have reached the distribution system.

View attachment 455106

That would depend on whether those readings can be tampered with or not within the computer program.

*****SMILE*****

Readouts are usually hard coded and are more difficult to hack into, you need programmer level access to mess with the tags for those items. What the hacker did was get into the remote access software and played with a pump slide that is probably changeable by any operator with access to the system.

View attachment 455109

But it could be done.

*****SMILE*****

it would require probably another two levels of access, and would require them to know the programming language of the control system in question, as well as how the original programming was done.

Many industrial control systems use proprietary systems that very few people know how to manipulate, which lowers the number of people technically able to fuck with the inner workings of the controls.

All this guy had to do was hack the remote access software and move a slide bar.

View attachment 455185

I agree someone knowing how to manipulate the basics once hacked in is easy. That's just breaking into the monkey controls that anyone can use. Knowing how to reprogram the system in the control language (Cobol, ASCII, or some other language) requires knowledge of how the language works and where to look once in. At those levels it would limit the number of suspects capable of such a feat dramatically.

*****SMILE*****

The weak point was the access software, I used to use PC Anywhere to answer alarms at a wastewater research facility I worked at. Our site wasn't anything that could harm anyone if someone messed with it, but getting into the system wouldn't be that hard for someone who knew what they were doing.