Hackers Gain Access To Town's Water Supply And Add Dangerous Chemicals

A group of hackers were able to gain control of a US town's water supply and began leaking dangerous chemicals into it.

Officials say computer hackers were able to get into the security system of the water plant for the city of Oldsmar in Florida on Friday and started to tamper with the amount of chemicals in the water.

They were able to briefly increase the amount of sodium hydroxide from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

Fox

Sodium hydroxide is used to treat the acidity levels in the water supply, but in high concentrations it can cause burns and other irritations.

Fortunately, a member of staff at the plant spotted the increase and was able to step in and undo it.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said: "The guy was sitting there monitoring the computer as he's supposed to and all of a sudden he sees a window pop up that the computer has been accessed.

"The next thing you know someone is dragging the mouse and clicking around and opening programs and manipulating the system."

Officials said the 15,000 residents of the town were not put at risk.

Gualtieri said: "At no time was there a significant adverse effect on the water being treated.

"Importantly, the public was never in danger."

He added: "The amount of sodium hydroxide that got in was minimal and was reversed quickly."

Remote access to the system has now been disabled.

Fox

In a statement to Sky News, the city's Mayor Eric Seidel said: "The City of Oldsmar has robust protocols in place that were used to stop a cyber intrusion into the water system's software.

"The protocols include security measures and multiple redundancies in the distribution of potable water to ensure its safety to our customers."

US Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio, posted about the attack on Twitter, writing: "I will be asking the FBI to provide all assistance necessary in investigating an attempt to poison the water supply of a Florida city.

"This should be treated as a matter of national security."

According to The Mirror, the FBI and Secret Service are working alongside officers in Florida but as yet Sheriff Gualtieri says they don't know who is responsible.

He added: "The important thing is to put everyone on notice. This should be a wake-up call."

Topics: US News

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19