Russian Hackers Strike Muleshoe, Could Lubbock Be Next?

Could Russian hackers strike Lubbock at some point? What happened in three area cities show it very well could happen in Lubbock.

On Wednesday it was reported that the City of Muleshoe was hit by a cyberattack from Russian Hackers back in January. The attack on Muleshoe caused the water tank in the city to overflow. The City Manager of Muleshoe released a statement to KAMC saying that the water system's "Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System had been compromised through a third party vendor's log-in".

The City Manager, Ramon Sanchez, told KAMC that the incident was quickly addressed and that the "public water system nor the public was in any danger".

But Muleshoe wasn't the only target. CNN reported that town officials in Lockney and Hale Center reported "suspicious activity" on their town's water systems.

Could Lubbock Suffer A Cyberattack?

The short answer is yes. According to Newsweek, U.S. water systems have become a favorite hacking target of several groups. Iranian-backed hackers broke into at least six different municipal utilities last year. Newsweek also reported that the North Texas Municipal Water District was hit by a cyberattack in November.

The White House and the EPA last month sent letters to the states asking them to improve cybersecurity defenses on water facilities. Fortunately, none of the cyberattacks on water facilities in the United States have led to any real threat, but that could change at any time and it does show real vulnerability in our defenses and in how the government can work to get water out to its citizens.