[imagesource: Guelph Mercury/Ryan Pfeiffer]

We associate hackers and cybercriminals with online crime, data theft, and viruses, not the world outside of a computer.

Which is why a recent attack on the water treatment system of Oldsmar, Florida, is so terrifying.

An investigation is underway to determine how, on Friday, a remote hacker managed to gain access to a computer that controls the levels of chemicals used to treat the water.

After doing so, the hacker briefly raised the amount of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, from 100 parts per million to 11 100 parts per million.

Lye is a poison, which in small doses can help to control the acidity in water. In large doses, per CNN, it can cause breathing difficulties, lung inflammation, throat swelling, burning of the oesophagus and stomach, severe abdominal pain, vision loss, and low blood pressure.

Death can occur as much as a month later.

An operator managed to put the brakes on the attempted poisoning when they noticed the levels of sodium hydroxide changing suddenly on their computer screen, and stepped in to reverse the action, leaving the water supply unaffected.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri says that Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and Secret Service are working together to investigate the breach which is being handled as an issue of national security.

“This is somebody who is trying, as it appears on the surface, to do something bad. It’s a bad act. It’s a bad actor,” Gualtieri said.

“This isn’t just ‘Oh, we’re putting a little bit of chlorine or a little bit of fluoride, or a little bit of something,’ we’re basically talking about lye that you are taking from 100 parts per million to 11,100.”

Other municipalities have been alerted to the attack, and investigators have some leads.

The breach wasn’t particularly sophisticated, which is worrying in and of itself.

Additional safety measures have been put in place at the water treatment plant.

[source:cnn]