Someone tried to poison a Florida city by hacking into the water treatment system

[MelissaB]

Link to tweet

Someone tried to poison a Florida city by hacking into the water treatment system, sheriff says

(CNN)A hacker gained access into the water treatment system of Oldsmar, Florida, on Friday and tried to increase the levels of sodium hydroxide -- commonly referred to as lye -- in the city's water, officials said, putting thousands at risk of being poisoned.

The incident took place Friday when an operator noticed the intrusion and watched the hacker access the system remotely. The hacker adjusted the level of sodium hydroxide to more than 100 times its normal levels, according to Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

The operator immediately reduced the level back. At no time was there a significant adverse effect to the city's water supply, and the public was never in danger, Gualtieri said. It is unknown if the breach happened from someone locally, nationally or even outside of the United States.

... snip

Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, is the main ingredient in liquid drain cleaner, Gualtieri said.
Symptoms of sodium hydroxide poisoning include breathing difficulties, lung inflammation, throat swelling, burning of the esophagus and stomach, severe abdominal pain, vision loss, and low blood pressure, according to the University of Florida Health System.

Long-term effects of poisoning depend on how fast the poison is diluted or neutralized in the system. Damage to the esophagus and stomach can continue to occur for several weeks after the poison was swallowed. Death can occur as long as a month later.

More: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/08/us/oldsmar-florida-hack-water-poison/index.html

[Celerity]

1. this is a nightmare in today's interconnected world

[dhill926]

2. test run maybe? jesus....

[moonscape]

6. On Rachel, a woman who has a book coming

out tomorrow on infrastructure hacking, said this one was a pretty simple hack of a small system, but that systems are constantly being probed and there are increasing near-misses.

[58Sunliner]

3. Seriously sick. I hope they have fail safes and alerts on hacking and monitoring.

That someone noticed an intrusion doesn't sound very secure.

[MustLoveBeagles]

4. That's truly scary

[lpbk2713]

5. I'm not sure I understand.

If they had an operator on duty at the site why would they have the mixture set up to be accessed remotely?

[Merlot]

7. Why is it even possible to raise the levels of lye that high?