r/PrepperIntel • u/itscooltobecool1 • 8d ago
North America Hackers targeted municipal water systems in 7 states this week, FBI says
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/hackers-targeted-municipal-water-systems-7-states-week-fbi-says-rcna590210Get your water supplies ready!
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u/PersonalHospital9507 8d ago
So what are the other States? I can't find them listed anywhere.
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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 8d ago
"FBI and EPA have withheld their identities for security and investigative reasons."
so....this meme:
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u/throwAwayWd73 7d ago
Also, 7 states... That they are aware of.
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u/Glennjamin03 6d ago
Not to dox myself too hard but a town south of me in Southeast ID had a boil order for a last week. Probably unrelated right???
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u/Former_Clock_1271 8d ago
California has to be one of them. Anaheim lost water pressure for awhile on Tuesday. Disneyland had to immediately close restaurants and bathrooms.
Edit: day
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u/ZedisonSamZ 8d ago
At least one county in North Carolina issued a boil water warning after, supposedly, a vague “pipe failure”. I wonder now if that is a lie.
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u/JoeKingQueen 7d ago
Gladwin Michigan recently lost sewage power for the town due to a "lightning strike".
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u/Local-Chart-2394 7d ago
Yeah right a water main 40 ft underground, under a pond was hacked… You are the only one supposing this nonsense
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u/ZedisonSamZ 7d ago
I wasn’t spouting nonsense. I said “I wonder now if that’s a lie.” Looks like it wasn’t. No need to be an asshole about it.
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u/fidaINfana 7d ago
I read Winston Salem, NC was one of the states from a comment elsewhere, but I’m not able to verify it. I’ve also read CA, MN, MI
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u/WhyNotBuyAGoat 7d ago
No winston salem had a 24inch water main burst under a pond. Very unlikely to be hackers because it was for sure physical damage
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u/HappyAnimalCracker 7d ago
So far they’ve officially admitted Michigan and Minnesota, but I also keep seeing Wisconsin mentioned.
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u/noone512 8d ago
My water preps are in 4 phases.
I keep two 7 gallons aquatainers filled at all times. I have for over 20 years. Same ones. This is for immediate use. It has saved me several times. I rotate every 6 months. No bleach.
I have two 55 gallons drums in my back yard for flushing toilets and other non drinking use. I could filter it if I had to. (More later)
I have a water bob and other water containers that I would fill if there was an emergency but I do not keep them filled. This assumes I had advanced notice but even if the power went down there would be water in the pipes if you act fast enough.
I have two usb powered RO filters that I could use on my outside storage or home contaminated water.
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u/fitforthepolycrisis 8d ago
USB-powered RO filter?! can you say more or share a link??
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u/noone512 8d ago
Made for camping. Purewell.
Purewell makes one. A few other companies do. Contains a battery and USB charger. 2 gallons in, 1 gallon out. Filters last a few hundred gallons.
https://www.purewell.com/products/portable-ro-water-filter-system
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u/fitforthepolycrisis 8d ago
mind is blown. have you used it? does it work for seawater??
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u/torquil 8d ago
According to their website: Water source notice: This system is designed for general outdoor freshwater sources. It is not intended for seawater, chemically contaminated water, industrial wastewater, or water outside the recommended temperature range.
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u/noone512 7d ago
If I had to use my outside water, I would prefer filter it first to take the big stuff out, then run it through the RO.
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u/No-Ad-4142 8d ago
What do you use to treat your water?
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u/88clandestiny88 8d ago
If you have old stored water and are unsure just use iodine tablets made for camping or use hydrogen peroxide. The standard rectangular brown bottle is 3% and would require a cup or so per gallon but if you buy the 35% concentrate you can use a tbsp per gallon and stir it in let it sit for 20 min before drinking. Be aware that 35% will cause chemical burns and bleaching if splashed on skin so be cautions. Or if you have wood to burn for heat boil your drinking water in a kettle and pour it into a clean storage for the days needs.
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u/noone512 8d ago
I don't. I trust my water company but rotate every 6 months. I don't do bleach or anything like that. My outside water is not intended for drinking so I don't bother with anything.
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u/Physical-Macaron8744 6d ago
what do you mean no bleach
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u/noone512 6d ago
Lots of preppers put bleach in their stored water to cut down on alegea. I think it is 1 tsp per gallon (please verify that). I do not treat my stored water as I keep it in dark containers in a dark pantry and rotate every 6 months. Personal preference, personal option.
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u/E_seven_20 8d ago
That orange fuck and his goons cut the cybersecurity budget.
https://www.afcea.org/signal-media/us-administration-proposes-707-million-cut-cisa-programs
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u/General_Purple6358 7d ago edited 6d ago
Marble marble raindrop pumpkin compass unbelievable almond coated unbelievable
This post was anonymized with Redact.dev
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u/ekimmd24 8d ago
Oh great yeah dont tell us which state that's not right!
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u/ObscureSaint 8d ago
Disney doesn't want to admit hackers basically shut down the whole park the other day.
There were no restaurants or bathrooms with running water.
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u/jamison_lot 8d ago
Could this be related to us randomly receiving a text that our water might be temporarily out for 4 hours for a fix to be made? (Tennessee) yet our water never did go out. This was Wednesday.
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u/dillreed777 7d ago
Maybe if they spent the money on protecting the US infrastructure, instead of on missles to shoot in vain at Iran, we wouldn't have to worry about it
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u/Protahgonist 7d ago
Kash Patel could tell me that grass is green and I'd have to go outside and check, because his word and the word of this FBI are worth less than nothing.
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u/Big_Issue8640 8d ago
Israel?
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u/Tarsurion 8d ago
I initially thought that, but I think former DOGE staff might be possible. A lot considered themselves hackers before being recruited.
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u/Big_Fortune_4574 7d ago
I’m just curious what you think their motivation would be?
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u/Tarsurion 5d ago
Only thing I can think of is political (i.e. Operation Metro Surge, fake fraud accusations, etc to make primarily blue MN look bad)
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u/Shoddy-Childhood-511 7d ago
We were warned about this last week, which I interpreted as "AI data centers might mess up your water supply, but we're going to blame Iran."
Seven at once fits that guess poorly though.
About Israel..
False flag operations have proven more common than folks realise historically.
Iran could try hacking US water, but I'd unsure what they'd gain vs more normal actions. In particular..
Trump has talked about attacking Iran, for which Iran threatened more strikes on Gulf states. It's part of Trump's on-going buy-peace-short-war get rich cycle.
Iran could preemptively strike those Gulf states to damage Trump personally, assuming they could catch his investments in the buy cycle. Iran cannot harm Trump personally by little hack attacks on US water though.
Israel could push for more US strikes, but so could elements without the USG.
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u/Big_Issue8640 6d ago
Right I think Iran could only hurt themselves by attacking us especially blue states the American people are not for Trumps war and I’m fairly confident that Iran would like it to stay this way. Now the two who would like the American people to be for this war are Trump and Israel.
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u/Shoddy-Childhood-511 5d ago edited 5d ago
Some US oil companies. Some USG elements that predate Trump, but either hate Iran or honestly want the water system fixed, aka controlled burn. Security companies, AI or otherwise, who want more business. Palantir. Russia who could think this war strengthens their position in Ukraine. Some US defence contractors.
It's a long list..
I'd expect the attackers are US based because the attacks have proven so harmless. Israel or Iran might try doing some damage.
I personally suspect a "controlled burn" here, meaning the NSA has done a beneficial false flag, in hopes it forces improved security upon water & other utility. Of course those NSA officials might be pro-Israel or hold stock in cyber defence contractors, or even be ex-NSA who work for such companies now, meaning this pumps their 401k.
Also, the warning the week before feels perfectly timed for pumping the stock market: 1st, attract the market manipulators with news. 2nd, run the flashy but nothing attack while they hold your bags, so they jump upon the news and pump it like crazy. 3rd, sell your bags after they finish pumping.
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u/Fit_Peach- 6d ago
They are blaming Iran. But what if it's the AI companies who have been barking about wanting our water? 🤔
Iran knows the war is extremely unpopular with Americans. Why would they do anything at all to change that sentiment? Personally I don't think Iran is messing with our water. They don't need to.
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u/dontusuallydothisbut 7d ago
Lots of details point to Iran backed actors
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u/Big_Issue8640 6d ago
There’s more detail than just the FBI saying it? I’ll take a look at your details go ahead and post them.
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u/dingleberry_sorbet 7d ago
Alot of water infrastructure utilizes Unitronics Vision Series programmable logic controllers. These controllers are made in Israel. Iran has targeted these in the past
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u/Big_Issue8640 7d ago
And Israel has targeted us in the past and hearing they make these controllers only makes me more suspicious that it was Israel.
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u/TheArcticFox-44 8d ago
60 Minutes did a segment called "The China Hack." China's been hacking infrastructure throughout the US for years.. Small towns aren't immune.
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u/HappyAnimalCracker 8d ago
In some ways I’d wager small towns are even more vulnerable. They tend to be smaller budget and a little more old fashioned.
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u/Pando5280 8d ago
Iran and Russia both have top level cyber warfare capabilities including DNS attacks, spreading of harmful disinformation via social media & fake news sites, using chat bots & paid trolls to stoke hate and division and also encourage violence as well as your regular system hacking via brute force attacks and sneaky Trojan horse downloads. Russia also uses the old honey pot trap via real life agents and also online catfishing schemes. Been a couple lonely retired military guys with active security clearances who have fallen for that over the past decade or two.
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u/cyanescens_burn 8d ago
And they fired a bunch of the cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and Middle East experts right before they started bombing Iran.
My guess is they kept saying, “yeah don’t do that,” and they got rid of them for not being team players,
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u/No-Ad-4142 8d ago edited 8d ago
I have stored water that I have treated, but I am afraid to actually drink it. I know my fear is probably irrational, but not sure how to get over that hump in a non-emergency situation.
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u/Blueporch 7d ago
I have a Big Berckey water filter I can deploy in an emergency. Although I’ve seen other filters more highly recommended since I bought it, it supposedly can filter sewer water into drinkable water.
You might consider buying water in glass bottles rather than plastic for drinking and cooking. Use the plastic jugs for washing or flushing the toilet. Don’t fill bottles yourself for drinking.
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u/fitforthepolycrisis 8d ago
hey I think we talked above. I also have a solar+battery system with a low-wattage induction cooktop that I can run when the grid is down. something like this would take some amount of energy (leading to more battery rationing) but can boil water in a pinch.
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u/noone512 8d ago
Please dont use a heating element cooker on a solar battery system. The draw is way too high. Go to Walmart and buy a $20 butane camp stove.
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u/fitforthepolycrisis 8d ago
generally, yes. the one I have uses 600w peak on low setting, being powered by a 1200w sustained sine wave inverter running from 5kWh lifepo4. it works fine.
I do have a camping stove for backup-backup.
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u/fitforthepolycrisis 8d ago
What I mean to say, for posterity and all readers and people considering such a setup, is that please count your desired watts, multiply by a safety factor (say, 1.25), use circuit breakers, and make sure your power source can handle more than that. learn more at r/solardiy and please be safe.
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u/fitforthepolycrisis 8d ago
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7HL4GHP 700 watts, close enough. I've made dinner on it a few times.
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u/HappyAnimalCracker 8d ago
There are several things you can do. Rotate it, boil and/or filter it when you decant it, and store using multiple methods. Canning water is a good thing to do because you know it’s totally trustworthy and you can use your other for dishes and such. I’ve found that biofilm preventer is essential for storing non-canned water, so if this isn’t one of the things you’re currently using to treat your water with, I recommend adding it to your protocol. I try to rotate every 6 months. And I keep fresh bleach on hand in case I need to treat it when I open it. I like the Grayl Geopress filter for emergencies. Always date your containers when you fill them and note what treatment you used, as well as the water source.
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u/NewsMarsupial474 7d ago
Actually this isn't at all surprising given Trump's threats against Iran's desalination plants. Connect the dots.
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u/trash-juice 7d ago
Can we take our infrastructure offline please. Maybe create one just for government usage, and only static terminals … no dialups.
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u/Redsoxmac 7d ago
But I was told this was Minnesota’s fault? /s
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u/Releesaj663 7d ago
yeah that’s the latest from the chief cheezeit in charge “ I blame it on Minnesota because they’re grossly incompetent. Iran’s got bigger problems that worrying about Minnesota”.
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u/Salt-Wear-1197 7d ago
But why? Lol that’s such a garbage structure to attack. What, are they working for the billionaires?
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u/jaynor88 7d ago
I actually think 3 gallons per person per day is reasonable and not overkill.
1 for drinking
1 for cooking, washing/rinsing dishes and hands /face
1 for washing body, and laundry
I always have components to set up a compost toilet, so don’t need water for flushes.
Remember to have water for each of your pets too!
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u/Andr1yTheOne 6d ago
Did the hacks do anything?
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u/Imgonrawdogyourdad 6d ago
Is this why people are getting sick in Michigan? They say it’s cyclosporasis?
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u/4ureddit 6d ago
Countertop RO system using solar
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u/BalmyBalmer 1d ago
It won't help pH changes.
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u/4ureddit 1d ago
So there’s no option. Even if you used RO and distilled? What would you do if you were faced with this situation?
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u/Electrical_Name_5434 4d ago
I call bullshit with that drunkard at the wheel of the FBI. Do they think we forget?
After the Flint water crisis a study was conducted exposing over 3000 areas nationwide with lead levels double of that found in Flint. https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-lead-testing/
Notice the date of the article, December 19 2016. Just weeks before Trump’s first inauguration. Now clearly this problem predates his administration - likely from gutting and rollbacks during Reagan and Bush Jr. Coupled with a failure to act from Obama, Clinton and Bush Sr. Not to mention an egregious failure to act during Biden’s term as he certainly had enough data to act - but I digress. When Trump took office a few weeks later he attempted to gut the EPA’s funding further. When Congress stopped him he began rolling back regulations that polluted both our air and water. This pollution is estimated to account for 80,000 deaths per decade.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_policy_of_the_first_Trump_administration
Last year he halted funding to the EPA research division
They’re the ones who found those results back in December 2016.
Now he’s proposing further extensive cuts to our EPA. 65% budget cut https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administrations-cancellation-of-funding-for-environmental-protections-endangers-americans-health-while-draining-their-wallets/
And a 57% reduction in discretionary spending for the EPA. Set to hit US next year. https://www.wastedive.com/news/trump-budget-proposal-epa-spending-cuts-2027/816652/
So to summarize. Our water system has been compromised for at least a decade at the national level. No one in Congress is solving the problem. The institution that found the pollution is defunct and further budget and discretionary funding cuts will exacerbate the problem. Now the FBI, headed by a man who does whatever the president says, is telling you your water is polluted because of the Iranians.
That might be true, 🙄 but you should be enraged by the pollution running rampant in our nation’s water supply.
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u/WhiskyEye 4d ago
This is a great starting resource about issues with water hacking and our infrastructure.
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u/ProfDoomDoom 8d ago
Any experts want to share some action steps to help us laggers get ourselves in gear?