Pa. cyberattacks: cybersecurity experts speak after hacks of Bucks County 911, Aliquippa water supply
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) -- After two cyberattacks on public infrastructure in recent months in Pennsylvania, legislators and cybersecurity experts will speak in a public hearing about safeguarding vulnerable tech infrastructure in the commonwealth.
Last week, Bucks County's computer-aided dispatch used by 911 dispatchers was hacked by the Akira ransomware group.
Service has since been restored, and calls for service were able to get through. But dispatchers were without a key piece of tech after the attack.
In a ransomware attack, hackers hold victims' data and threaten to either delete or release it unless the victims pay a ransom.
It's not clear if the ransom was paid in the Bucks County case.
Another cyberattack on public works occurred in November out in western Pennsylvania - when Iranian-backed CyberAv3ngers impacted systems at the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
Since then, Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey as well as Rep. Chris DeLuzio have written to the Justice Department asking for a full investigation and for all to be held accountable in the cyberattack.
In that attack, a station that monitors and regulates water pressure for two townships was overtaken with an anti-Israel message. The group claimed responsibility for attacks at other water authorities.
Here's what other water companies in the Philadelphia area are doing to keep their data safe.
The hearing starts at 1 p.m. in Harrisburg. The state Senate Communications and Technology Committee, chaired by Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-Montgomery County), and the Senate Local Government Committee, chaired by Sen. Rosemary M. Brown (R-40) are holding the hearing.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investigating the attack.
