Water systems in seven US states attacked within a week

The FBI and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have warned utilities across the United States that hackers are attempting to disrupt vital water infrastructure. The warning followed cyberattacks that have hit municipal waterworks in at least seven states this week, NBC News reported.

In a notice released on Thursday, the agencies confirmed that water and wastewater utilities have reported incidents where malicious activity has in some cases degraded the functioning of water supply. The names of the states have not been disclosed.

Hackers gained remote access to internet-connected devices, changed IP addresses and passwords, which resulted in the loss of system monitoring and control capabilities.

Prior to this, more than 30 municipal waterworks in Minnesota had been attacked, which, according to a law enforcement official, showed signs of Iranian involvement. The incident is still under investigation, and Minnesota authorities and the US government have not publicly linked the attack to any specific party. A spokesperson for the Minnesota Information Security Agency confirmed that there is no indication of water contamination.

Meanwhile, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has mentioned in a separate warning that some major attacks on water infrastructure have led to boil water advisories and prolonged manual operation of systems, but did not specify where these incidents occurred.

Speaking to reporters at Camp David on Friday, President Donald Trump blamed Minnesota leaders and Governor Tim Walz. "I would blame Minnesota on that, because they are extremely incompetent," Trump said. "They love to say, 'Oh, it's Iran.' Iran has bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota."

In response, Governor Walz said: "Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack and knows that other states were also hit. This is modern warfare, and it further shows that there is no plan to win the war with Iran."

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued a statement saying that intelligence officials estimate that Wisconsin's systems may also be vulnerable. Minnesota had reported how hackers managed to reduce system pressure, which in several cases triggered alarms.

Emily Zimmer, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Information Security Agency, refuted Wisconsin's claim. "Minnesota has not reported that attackers lowered pressure in multiple water systems or that pressure changes led to law enforcement response," Zimmer said.