DETERMINE IF TEAMVIEWER HACKED SOFTWARE

TeamViewer has long been an attractive target for attackers, because the software can give administrators full, remote access to and control of systems. The hacker apparently used TeamViewer to gain remote access to the water treatment facility's network.

Here are five key questions the Florida incident raises: 1. Nevertheless, the incident points to the major risks involved in remotely accessing systems and the urgent need to ensure OT security. For example, the change to the lye levels would not have affected the water for 24 to 36 hours, and the system has alarms that would have been triggered by the increased lye levels. Oldsmar Mayor Eric Seidel said the water treatment facility had controls in place that would have prevented the tainted water from leaving the plant. For example, in higher concentrations, it's used in drain cleaner to dissolve organic matter.

But too much sodium hydroxide can be deadly. Lye is used to reduce the acidity of water to make it more alkaline. But the hack was thwarted within minutes, with officials restricting remote access. Secret Service.Ī hacker remotely accessed a system that controls the chemicals that are added to the water to make it safe to drink and increased the level of sodium hydroxide - lye - from 100 parts per million to 11,100 parts per million, the local sheriff says. The Friday attack against the water treatment facility in Oldsmar, Florida, is being investigated by the local Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, which has notified the FBI and U.S. 'The lesson to be learned here is that public sector organizations that provide critical services - which are largely unregulated for security - need some scrutiny on their IT and OT security,' says Mike Hamilton, the CISO of CI Security, who formerly worked at the Department of Homeland Security. See Also: Live Panel Tomorrow | A Better Way to Approach Data Backup and Recovery A satellite view of Oldsmar's water reclamation facility (Photo: Google Maps)Īs the investigation into the hacking of a water treatment facility in Florida continues, cybersecurity experts say the incident points to the urgent need to enhance operational technology security.

Determine if teamviewer hacked