29 April 2020
Targeted attacks on Israeli water supply and wastewater treatment facilities
On April 23, the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) issued a security alert on attempts to attack SCADA systems of wastewater treatment facilities, water pumping stations and sewerage networks. The measures recommended for water and power supply organizations to prevent intrusions included urgently changing passwords for all internet-connected systems. The importance of implementing such measures for systems that control the amount of chlorine added to water was particularly stressed. The recommendations also mentioned the need to update the software used and equipment firmware.
Similar warnings were also published by the Israeli cyber emergency response team and by the Israeli government’s Water Authority.
To date, there have been no official reports of confirmed intrusions into any Israeli water supply or wastewater treatment company’s systems. According to information from mass media, the attacks took place on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 and affected a number of organizations in different parts of the country.