US Warns of Iran-Linked Cyber Hacks on Water, Energy Systems

The Trump administration warned cyberattackers with links to Iran are targeting critical US infrastructure including drinking water systems and the energy sector.

The attacks are aimed at technology used in water and sewer systems along with government facilities and services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI and other agencies said in a joint statement Tuesday. The warning didn’t specify where they were occurring.

“The FBI and its partners are issuing this advisory to ensure organizations are best positioned to defend themselves against exploitation by Iran-affiliated cyber actors,” Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division, said in the statement.

The attacks are similar to previous incursions by the group CyberAv3ngers, according to the statement. The organization targeted control devices used for water and sewer systems in 2023 and has ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to the US government.

The recent attacks are targeting “logic controllers” manufactured by Milwaukee-based Rockwell Automation Inc., the agencies said. In some cases, they have caused “operational disruption and financial loss,” according to the statement.

Photo: In an aerial view, pools of water are visible at the East Bay Municipal Utility District Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oakland, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)