The Israeli authorities have issued an alert to organizations in the water sector following a series of cyberattacks aimed at water facilities.
According to the alert published by the Israeli National Cyber-Directorate (INCD), the attacks were aimed at supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems at wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and sewage facilities.
The authorities have urged organizations in the water and energy sectors to immediately change passwords of control systems exposed online, ensure that the latest version of software is installed, and reduce their exposure online.
According to Israeli media reports, the attacks took place over the weekend, but as of now the impact is not clear. The authorities did not reveal whether the operating systems were compromised or pump operations disrupted.
The Israel government's Water Authority told organizations to change passwords "with emphasis on operating systems and in particular on chlorine adding systems to wells." If it’s impossible to change passwords, the agency recommends to disconnect systems from the Internet.
