As US cities embrace tech, cyberattacks pose real-world risks
Written by Reuters -
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The word “cyberattack” usually brings to mind hackers breaking into a company or government agency, wreaking havoc and stealing valuable data.
But for an employee at a Florida water treatment facility, an even scarier event took place in February.
On his shift at the plant, which treats water for about 15 000 people in Oldsmar, a town near Tampa, he noticed that the levels of a chemical additive in the water were increasing.
Hackers had remotely gained access to the plant’s computer system and were adding more sodium hydroxide to the water supply. Typically used in small amounts to control acidity, at higher levels it can become dangerous to drink.