BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A reported cyber breach involving several California water systems has raised concerns about the security of critical infrastructure, though the water provider says there are no signs service has been disrupted.
The breach happened last Thursday and involved systems connected to Bakersfield, Visalia and Chico.
It was allegedly carried out by an Iranian-linked hacker group known as Handala.
The group provided a screenshot of customer billing information to an Iranian news outlet, Press TV, and told the outlet in part, “We could have easily cut off the water to American cities.”
California Water Service said it is investigating the potential hack, but that “preliminary findings continue to indicate that there are no known operational disruptions to our water and wastewater systems, including the billing platform.”
In a post on X, Rep. Vince Fong called the incident “a wake-up call,” adding, “We are in a heightened threat environment, and adversaries are actively targeting our water infrastructure, hospitals, and other soft targets in our backyard.”
Cybersecurity business owner John Horst said the type of information reportedly accessed suggests the intrusion may have been limited to billing-related systems, rather than the technology used to run water operations.
“Now, a billing system doesn’t really come close. It’s not that it doesn’t open a pathway. It might open a pathway, but it’s not the same thing as operational technology,” Horst said.
He added, “To get into a billing system is nowhere near enough to be able to get in and control and manipulate the operational technology.”
Still, Horst said there are potential risks if attackers can move from billing systems toward other connected systems.
“But directionally, to go from the billing system to something like the GPS corrections server is going towards your operational technology, and that would be a concern,” he said.
Horst also warned that access to personal billing information could increase the risk of identity theft and scams targeting customers.
“If anyone who is a customer of Cal Water gets an email that purports to be from Cal Water, pay very close attention to it. Don’t assume it’s Cal Water,” he said.