Weak and Exposed: US Water Utilities a Chinese Hacker Target

[rbc]

Rural America is a long way from Taiwan. But cyber power is no respecter of geography. Should China make good on its repeated threats to reunify the island by force, the utilities that provide water and power to small towns all over the United States may find themselves on the digital front lines of a 21st century superpower war.

Hackers linked to China have accessed the IT networks of hundreds of small and medium-sized U.S. water systems and other utilities with a view to sabotaging American water and power supplies in the event of a conflict, CBS reported this week, detailing a threat that U.S. officials warned of two and a half years ago.

The revelations highlight the vulnerability to online sabotage of automated and remotely controlled operational technology systems, and the growing resource gap faced by those charged with defending them. In the event of a war in the Pacific, if China seeks to undermine America's will and ability to fight by crippling its civilian infrastructure, small town utilities might be on their own.
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Weak and Exposed: US Water Utilities a Chinese Hacker Target