What we know about the alleged Iranian hacks on U.S. water utilities

Since the end of last month, several water utilities in the United States have been hit by cyberattacks, causing alarm in the country.

For years, water utilities and other critical infrastructure facilities in the power sector, for example, have been targeted by hackers, whether government-backed or individuals. What makes this recent series of attacks—allegedly carried out by Iran—particularly concerning was how widespread they have been, hitting targets in around a dozen states.

The U.S. has more than 150,000 water systems, some of them run by local companies. In theory, that should make it harder for hackers to target several facilities at the same time. But on the flip side, the companies running these systems may not have the resources or cybersecurity expertise needed to protect themselves.

Cybersecurity experts have long believed that Iranian hackers target low-hanging fruit in opportunistic isolated attacks, so this hacking campaign could be a...

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