A hacker tried to poison a Calif. water supply. It was as easy as entering a password.

Of all the country's critical infrastructure, water might be the most vulnerable to hackers.

Whether hacks on water plants have recently become more common or just more visible is impossible to tell, because there is no comprehensive federal or industry accounting of water treatment plants' security.

There has never been a nationwide cybersecurity audit of water treatment facilities, and the U.S. government has said it has no plans for one. While individual facilities can ask the federal government for help to protect themselves, few do. In most cases, it's up to individual water plants to protect themselves, and even if they're aware they've been hacked — a big if — they might not be inclined to tell the federal government, much less their customers.

"Generally, they're not reporting to the federal government. There's some distrust, you know, in small-town, Midwest USA," he said. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the federal government's primary cybersecurity defense agency, is tasked with helping secure the country's infrastructure, including water. But it doesn't regulate the sector and is largely confined to giving advice and assistance to organizations that ask for it.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

YahooNews /  🏆 380. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

12 Themed Peloton Rides That Are Sure to Get Your Heart PumpingSome days it's easy to hop on your Peloton bike and start pedaling, other days you're left wishing Peloton instructor Ally Love's bubbly energy could just rub
Read more »

Demi Lovato Says They Cut Their Hair to Shed Gender Norms“I was shedding all of the gender norms that had been placed on me growing up female in this world.”
Read more »

Biden to Putin: Help me help youMore than once on Wednesday, as Biden described his meeting with Putin, he tried to make it sound like he was doing the Russian leader a favor by simply giving him some good advice
Read more »

39 Grilled Fish Recipes We LoveIf you think grilling fish is intimidating, you might just need some new grilled fish recipes.
Read more »

Will Gaddafi’s son make a run for Libya's presidency?Saif al Islam Gaddafi is trying to leverage foreign countries, diplomats and media in a bid to enter Libyan politics, but it might be a fool’s errand
Read more »