Hackers almost succeeded in poisoning the water in an American city

An unknown man nearly poisoned the water in a small American town in Florida. The hacker was able to connect to the computer network of the Oldsmare Drinking Water Management System by increasing the sodium hydroxide ("caustic") supply from 100 units per million to 11,100 units. The substance is believed to regulate the pH balance of drinking water, however, in large proportions, it is toxic to humans.

The incident took place last Friday. One of the employees noticed a moving cursor on the computer screen, but did not attach much importance to it: remote working has become a practice, and authorized personnel have the right to control functions from the station.

However, after some time, the employee again drew attention to the activity of the computer. This time, an unknown person changed the sodium hydroxide feed level to an unacceptable level. The operator quickly stopped the process and returned it to normal. Despite the fact that the substance supply began, water poisoning did not occur - it would take about a day and a half.

Due to the high degree of danger, the FBI is likely to get involved.

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