According to Oldsmar officials, a threat actor was able to remotely access the IT system of the town’s water treatment facility. The hacker raised the levels of sodium hydroxide in the water. The act could have been deadly if the lye was not quickly noticed and fixed. The attack happened just days before the NFL’s Super Bowl was set to be held in Tampa Bay, just around the corner. Oldsmar officials were able to remediate the situation before any serious damage ensued as an operator noticed a brief intrusion that occurred on Friday morning.
According to the operator, he noticed someone had remotely accessed the computer system. The operator then noticed that the water had been poisoned with lye. The intruder shifted the level of sodium hydroxide (lye) in the water from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million. This is a potentially dangerous increase and could have caused serious health effects if consumed. The authorities stated that they currently have leads but have not identified a suspect following an investigation over the weekend conducted by the FBI and US Secret Service. It is unclear whether the hacker accessed the network from inside or outside the US.
Read More: Hacker Tries to Poison Water Supply of Florida Town
