Cybersecurity Expert Warns of "Zero-Day Attacks" on US Utilities

Por Karen Curtis
White House And EPA Warn States On Cyber Threats To Water Systems

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 20: In an aerial view, pools of water are visible at the East Bay Municipal Utility District Wastewater Treatment Plant on March 20, 2024 in Oakland, California. The Biden administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are warning states of possible cyberattacks on water systems after recents attacks including one by the Cyber Av3ngers, a group linked to the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that targeted internet-facing programmable logic controllers at Pennsylvania’s Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Foto: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News / Getty Images

(Undated) - A cybersecurity expert warns that artificial intelligence is increasing the risk of more hacks on the nation's utility systems.

In this latest wave against water plants in seven states, internet-controlled systems that regulate treatment chemicals and water pressure were compromised.

InfoStream's Alan Crowetz says artificial intelligence is making such hacks difficult to prevent. He says the "zero-day attack" is the most worrisome.

"A zero-day attack is a cyberattack exploits a previously unknown software vulnerability before the vendor has time to issue a patch, making it highly dangerous and difficult to defend against," according to Crowetz.

Crowetz says the latest attacks were probably carried out by a government, like Iran, because no ransom was requested.

He adds that "zero-day attacks are particularly dangerous because the day it is invented is the day it hits and no one is ready." Most conventional security tools rely on known threat signatures which are often ineffective against unknown vulnerabilities.

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