"A cyberattack on a Florida water treatment plant underscores the need for strong security protections at the municipal level, attorneys and industry professionals say.

A hacker gained access to an Oldsmar, Fla. city computer on Feb. 5 and changed the level of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, local authorities said. It isn’t yet known whether the breach originated from the U.S. or from outside the country. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is working with local authorities.

There’s been a “marked increase” in the last couple of years in cyber incidents against state and local government entities, said David Springer, a cybersecurity attorney at Bracewell LLP in Austin, Texas.

“A number of people have been calling this incident a wake-up call, but there have been reported attacks like this for 20 years now,” Springer said. “I’m glad it’s bringing attention to the security of industrial and municipal control systems.”"

Jake Holland and Bobby Magill report for Bloomberg Environment February 10, 2021. [2]