Water Treatment Hacks Reflect Larger OT Threats

Security Breach

Security Breach
Water Treatment Hacks Reflect Larger OT Threats
Sep 23, 2026
Eric Sorensen

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Although the need to defend the networks, data and endpoints of critical infrastructure dates back to the first time a PLC was connected to an HMI, the realization of how damaging such a compromise could be was probably Stuxnet.

And while we’ve progressed enough to typically spot an unknown or malicious player armed with a suspicious USB, the threat landscape has expanded, and the bad actors have evolved.

Combining those factors with a lack of funds, training, expertise and resources has opened the doors to ransomware groups and state-sponsored hackers to infiltrate, shutdown or compromise infrastructure operations across the globe, and more recently, across the United States.

These growing threats were recently on display when over 100 water treatment facilities across 12 states experienced temporary shutdowns due to breeches believed to have been carried out by Iranian hacking groups. Here to discuss the rise in these attacks, and what they mean in the broader scope of industrial cybersecurity is Jen Sovada, General Manager for Public Sector initiatives at Claroty.

Listen as we discuss:

  • The blocking and tackling of OT security that has become vital in defending critical assets on any plant floor.
  • How Watershed 250 is working to help utilities protect their OT infrastructure.
  • How the ongoing IT/OT divide is hurting new cybersecurity initiatives.
  • The proper implementation of strategies like microsegmentation, artificial intelligence tools.
  • How, despite all the challenges facing industrial cybersecurity, she can still sleep at night.

To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com  or  MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast. And if you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

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To catch up on past episodes, you can go to Manufacturing.net, IEN.com or MBTmag.com. You can also check Security Breach out wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Amazon and Overcast.

If you have a cybersecurity story or topic that you’d like to have us explore on Security Breach, you can reach me at jeff@ien.com.

Episode Artwork Water Treatment Hacks Reflect Larger OT Threats 24:26 Episode Artwork Shadow AI Is Amplifying OT Threats 22:47 Episode Artwork AI is Fueling, Killing Ransomware 27:14 Episode Artwork Good Guys Also Use AI 26:35 Episode Artwork LISTEN: The Continuing Evolution of Ransomware 34:13 Episode Artwork LISTEN: Security Breach: 'Prevention is Damn Near Impossible' 34:52 Episode Artwork The Hard Realities of OT Cybersecurity 30:52 Episode Artwork Focus on Hitting Lower, Not Harder 43:38 Episode Artwork 'Defense in Depth is Dead' 35:36 Episode Artwork Countering New-Age, State-Sponsored Industrial Hackers 35:25 Episode Artwork Taking Down of a North Korean Remote Access Scam 36:41 Episode Artwork Multiple Paths to Zero Trust - Channeling D&D, LOTR and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia 44:01 Episode Artwork The Bad Guy's Different Set of Rules 29:01 Episode Artwork Finding the Soul of a Pirate 37:35 Episode Artwork Analyzing, Responding to the Inevitable Uptick in Iranian Cyberattacks 36:38 Episode Artwork Hybrid Warfare is Upon You 31:34 Episode Artwork Security Breach: Strengthening Your Weakest Links 32:58 Episode Artwork Clarifying the Big-Picture Impacts of CMMC 41:23 Episode Artwork Shiny Objects and the Power of Preparation 44:22 Episode Artwork You Don't Have to Out-Tech the Hacker 40:55 Episode Artwork Speaking the Right Language 46:39 Episode Artwork Why People Are Not the Biggest Risk 49:03 Episode Artwork Preserving Uptime in the Face of Evolving Attacks 31:05 Episode Artwork New Patching Strategies for Old Vulnerabilities 26:12 Episode Artwork The Wild & Weird of Industrial Cybersecurity 30:33