Cape May, Woodbine water systems targeted in cyberattack. Here’s what we know.
Cape May's water systems were targeted by hackers last week, part of a wave of cyberattacks hitting towns across the country.
Two South Jersey towns were victims of cyberattacks last week targeting the water supplies of towns across the country.
Officials in Cape May and Woodbine confirmed their water systems were hacked in the early morning hours of Monday, July 27. While both systems were impacted for about 12 hours, officials say water never stopped running and remained safe to consume.
“Water treatment, water supply, and monitoring systems continue to operate safely, and routine testing confirms that the water supply remains safe,” Cape May City Manager Paul Dietrich and Woodbine Mayor William Pikolycky said in a joint statement.
Both said no personal data or customer information was compromised.
“Most of our systems in Woodbine and Cape May aren’t automated. It’s not online,” Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock told 6abc. “That really saved us.”
In Cape May, hackers changed the IP address of the water department’s computer system, temporarily locking out officials, according to Dietrich. No water pumps were disrupted and none of their systems were altered.
“They just went in and said, ‘Hey, hi, we’re here. And left,’” Dietrich told KYW NewsRadio.
Cape May’s water system also supplies water to West Cape May, Cape May Point, Lower Township and the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center
In Woodbine, about half an hour north of Cape May, the city provides water to about 5,000 people, including campgrounds.
Similar to Cape May, communications were cut off to Woodbine’s water monitoring system, which was reactivated manually a few hours later. Pikolycky said the impact was minimal, similar to what happens during a power outage.
“We don’t have a complicated system,” Pikolycky said. “A couple bad actors interrupted our operation a bit, drove us a little nuts. That’s all.”
No reports of issues in Philadelphia
At least seven states have been targeted in a wave of cybert attacks on water systems in the U.S., according to the FBI, but so far Pennsylvania don’t appear to be among them.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection told Pittsburgh NRP affiliate WESA there have been no reported attacks on local water systems in the commonwealth.
The Philadelphia Water Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but there haven’t been any major issues reported related to water supply or public health.
Who is behind the cyberattacks?
It remains unclear who is targeting local water systems across the country.
Thirty water facilities were targeted by cyberattacks in Minnesota, according to officials, and nine were impacted in Michigan. Similar to what happened in New Jersey, water systems continued to operated and there were no impacts on public health.
“After remotely accessing internet-facing devices, the actors changed the IP addresses and passwords, resulting in a loss of monitoring and control functionality,” the FBI said in a statement.
Last month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — part of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for cybersecurity — released a joint statement with the FBI and CIA linking Iran to a broader range of cyberattacks targeting the same type of hardware hit in Cape May and Woodbine.
“Iranian cyber actors continue to target U.S. critical infrastructure, and the FBI is committed to identifying, disrupting, and imposing costs on those responsible,” Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, said in a statement.
