FBI Issues Water Supply Cyberterror Warning
Source: SecurityFocus
Members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network have sought information on the Web about the networks that U.S. utility companies use to remotely control water supply distribution and treatment systems, according to a bulletin issued by the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) Wednesday.
"U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies have received indications that Al-Qaida members have sought information on Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems available on multiple SCADA-related Web sites," reads the bulletin. "They specifically sought information on water supply and wastewater management practices in the U.S. and abroad."
SCADA systems allow utility companies and municipalities to monitor and direct equipment at unmanned facilities from a central location. Dedicated communications channels link a control center to hundreds of "remote terminal units," which in turn control water pumps and other equipment.
The NIPC bulletin went to some 3,000 members of the center's InfraGard program, an information-sharing partnership between the NIPC and private industry.
An FBI spokesman emphasized that the bulletin is not a full blown alert. "It just says be on the lookout," says FBI supervisory special agent Steven Berry. "There's some information that suggests that they [Al-Quada] are looking at this... There are potential interests in water supplies, and other infrastructures."
