A group of Iranian hackers recently posted a video showing how they managed to access an industrial control system (ICS) at a water facility in Israel. According to industrial cybersecurity firm OTORIO, the hackers accessed a system that was directly connected to the internet without any kind of authentication or another type of security. The lack of security gave the attackers easy access and once in, the ability to modify anything within the system. This means they could have tampered with the water pressure causing pipes to burst, changed the temperature to overheat machines, and more and all the attackers needed was a connection to the internet and a web browser. The hackers published their video on December 1 and by the next day, the owner of the compromised system made the appropriate changes to prevent access to the system without authentication. However, if the system itself is still exposed to the internet, more skilled attackers might still try to access it.

This story highlights the importance of protection in all systems, if the attackers had malicious intentions they could have shut down a city’s water supply. Even though you might think to yourself ‘I don’t need to protect my business, who would want to attack that?’ it is so important to keep every aspect of your systems protected and secure in any way you can.

Cyber Wise helps to enhance your resilience to business crime by layering multiple approaches into a single, simple subscription. With over £8 billion lost by businesses since March and cyber-crime attacks rising daily it’s no longer a question of if, but when you get caught… are you prepared?

If you would like to learn more about what Cyber Wise can offer you click here.