Oregon water district's control system accessed in recent cyber intrusion
State officials confirmed that an Oregon drinking-water provider's operational technology was accessed by hackers, part of a series of attacks on municipal water systems reported in several states.
Hackers gained unauthorized access to the core operating technology of an Oregon drinking-water district, officials said on Friday. The incident is being investigated alongside similar intrusions reported in at least seven other states, where attackers targeted programmable logic controllers that manage water-treatment equipment.
The governor’s office declined to identify the affected district but emphasized that cyber security is a priority and that the investigation is being coordinated with federal law-enforcement agencies. The FBI’s Portland field office confirmed that it has detected cyber activity affecting water operations in multiple states but did not disclose the Oregon district involved.
Hope Hiebert, spokesperson for Oregon Enterprise Information Services, which advises state agencies on cyber security, said the state is aware of a July incident involving unauthorized access to an Oregon water provider’s operational technology and directed inquiries about the specific district to the relevant authorities.
Portland Water Bureau spokesperson Brandon Zero noted that the bureau routinely works with the city’s information security team, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the FBI to assess vulnerabilities, but declined to comment on whether its own system was targeted.
Other districts, including those in Klamath Falls, Corvallis, Redmond and Bend, reported no recent attacks. The Tualatin Valley Water District said it has experienced an increase in hacking attempts, though none have been successful or reported to the FBI.
The FBI’s assessment of the broader attacks described how hackers connected to remote logic controllers between July 27 and July 30, altered IP addresses and passwords, and caused loss of monitoring and control functions, leading to pressure loss or flooding in some systems. The agency advises water operators to limit remote access and implement robust security protocols, while maintaining manual backup procedures in case of system failures.