Florida water plant cyberattack: Senate Intel chair seeks answers

Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner has sent a letter to the FBI and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking more information regarding the recent computer breach at a Florida water treatment facility, citing the need to ensure that potential security weaknesses are addressed.

He cited Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) data that indicates 80% of the nation’s drinkable water comes from about 153,000 public water systems, "and any type of attack, including a cyber attack, could result in ‘illnesses or casualties and/or a denial of service that would also impact public health and economic vitality,’" the letter states. He added: "Additionally, other critical infrastructure sectors such as healthcare, emergency services, energy, food and agriculture, and transportation systems depend on the cyber resilience of water facilities."