Summary

Iran’s latest hacks on US and UK water and power plants have revealed a weak point in defenses that the regime will likely exploit with more cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, an expert told The Post. When hackers linked with the regime went after water facilities in 12 states last month, they also shut down a UK power plant for four days in a first-of-its-kind attack around the same time, UK officials confirmed Saturday. While Iran has been targeting the US and its allies with cyberattacks since the war began, the latest hacks suggest it has found vulnerabilities to keep targeting, warned Annie Fixler, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Iran is realizing it can be more successful in its cyber attacks,” said Fixler, the director of the FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. “These new attacks tell us that they’re looking for our weaknesses… and they’ve realized how we’ve left certain facilities exposed faster than we have ourselves,” she added. “This whole thing highlights how we’ve allowed ease of access to our critical infrastructure and forgotten that there are those who want to harm us.” The US has long been aware of Iran’s cyber capabilities, with Tehran constantly flaunting its accomplishments whenever a hack occurred in the past. However, the regime has remained relatively silent during the war, with the hacks instead flagged by federal officials and the impacted facilities, Fixler pointed out. Back in April, the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency warned that hackers backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were attempting to disrupt America’s water system after finding an opening in machines running the facilities. Then a string of cyberattacks against water infrastructure hit at least 12 states in the US, with Minnesota officials accusing Iran of causing brief automated shutdowns and some boil-water notices. A small-scale power generator was shut off for four days in the UK, The Telegraph reported. The exact location was not identified. Fixler warned that the hackers are likely reaping praise from the regime over the successful attacks, incentivizing them to keep pushing and finding more systems to exploit.