User:CL1422/Cyberattack

Water
Water as an infrastructure could be one of the most critical infrastructures to be attacked. It is seen as one of the greatest security hazards among all of the computer-controlled systems. There is the potential to have massive amounts of water unleashed into an area which could be unprotected causing loss of life and property damage. Even water supplies could be attacked; sewer systems can be compromised too. There was no calculation given to the cost of damages, but the estimated cost to replace critical water systems could be in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Most of these water infrastructures are well developed making it hard for cyberattacks to cause any significant damage, at most, equipment failure can occur causing power outlets to be disrupted for a short time.

In 2024, multiple US water facilities had their industrial equipment compromised by hackers to display anti-Israel messages. Although no major damage has been inflicted, it has revealed US water facilities are experiencing lack of funding and resources to patch security vulnerabilities in their infrastructure.

Waste management
In addition to water facilities, waste management facilities can also be and have been targets of cyberattacks.

In 2023, the Radio Waste Management (RWM) company, owned by the United Kingdom government, experienced an unsuccessful cybersecurity breach through the use of LinkedIn. The attack attempted to identify and access the people who are part of the business.

In 2023, Sellafield, the UK’s largest and most hazardous nuclear waste disposal site, had been targeted by foreign hackers, linked to Russia and China. Sleeper malware was discovered inside of the site’s networks, and it is unknown how long it had been installed or if it had been fully removed. The full extent of the weak security was exposed when staff found they could access Sellafield’s servers from outside the site. Reports in 2012 and 2015 reported that the company and senior management have been aware of the security vulnerabilities but failed to report or spend resources to address these vulnerabilities. Sellafield’s sensitive documents, such as foreign attack or disaster emergency defense plans and radioactive waste management, may have been compromised. It is possible for smaller scale electronics in e-waste to become targets of cyberattacks. The PwC estimates that globally by 2030, the amount of Internet of Things (IoT) devices owned around the world would reach over 25 billion, and of that, 70 million tonnes of e-waste will be generated and disposed of. Although only based on anecdotal evidence, it’s estimated the majority of this e-waste is improperly disposed of, allowing the components of these devices to retain sensitive information and personal data. Cyber criminals may target e-waste of individuals or organizations to gain access to sensitive data that isn’t as securely guarded as active devices.