Pennsylvania lawmakers call for action after cyberattack on Aliquippa water system
ALIQUIPPA, Pa. (KDKA) — Lawmakers in Western Pennsylvania are calling for action after the cyberattack over the weekend on the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa.
No service was disrupted and the water kept flowing, but the cyberattack on Aliquippa's water system sounded alarms in the highest levels of the federal government. Now, the state's two senators have joined the district's congressman in calling for the maximum response.
"These are not small things to target, our infrastructure in this country, to target something like water," Congressman Chris Deluzio said. "And we should see the strongest possible law enforcement response."
On Saturday, an anti-Israel, Iranian-backed group called "Cyber Av3ngers" claimed responsibility for hacking a piece of Israeli-made technology used to regulate water pressure in Aliquippa's system. The attack disabled the monitor, but plant managers were able to continue operating manually.
But by the next day, investigators from the Department of Homeland Security's Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency descended.
And on Wednesday, Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman joined Deluzio in sending a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging "the Justice Department to conduct a full investigation and hold those responsible accountable.".
"You've got nation-state actors willing to attack our critical infrastructure," Deluzio said. "In this case, the water authority in Aliquippa impacts people in Beaver County. That's a serious thing, and it's part of why Senators Fetterman, Casey and I sent a letter to the attorney general calling for a full federal investigation and to prosecute these criminals should their investigation go that way."
On the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, "Cyber Av3ngers" claimed responsibility for attacks on a dozen water systems in Israel, and the concern among Deluzio and others is that more attacks are imminent, especially on our least protected infrastructure in poorer communities like Aliquippa. He's calling for more funding to make that infrastructure more secure.
"A municipal water authority in Aliquippa is the target here," Deluzio said. "And that controls something we all rely on: access to water. So, that's where the vulnerabilities are. We have to shore up our defenses and help local and state governments."
Homeland Security has sent advisories to water systems across the country on how to fortify themselves.