DHS Finds No Evidence Hackers Penetrated Illinois Water Plant

There is no proof that anyone infiltrated a computer network operating a water plant in Springfield, Ill., despite earlier reports that hackers located in Russia may have penetrated the facility's control system, federal officials have concluded.

A state fusion center report, first made public by reputable cybersecurity expert Joe Weiss, indicated that online intruders may have triggered a water pump failure. Still, some computer experts cautioned against jumping to conclusions about a state-sponsored cyberattack. Had the preliminary suspicions been correct, the incident would have marked the first compromise of a U.S. critical infrastructure system. The Homeland Security Department, FBI and Pentagon officials recently have warned about the threat of attacks on vital U.S. sectors, including utilities and financial services.

DHS spokesman Chris Ortman said in a statement Tuesday night:

"After detailed analysis, DHS and the FBI have found no evidence of a cyber intrusion into the [control] system of the Curran-Gardner Public Water District in Springfield, Ill.

There is no evidence to support claims made in initial reports -- which were based on raw, unconfirmed data and subsequently leaked to the media -- that any credentials were stolen, or that the vendor was involved in any malicious activity that led to a pump failure at the water plant. In addition, DHS and FBI have concluded that there was no malicious traffic from Russia or any foreign entities, as previously reported.

Analysis of the incident is ongoing and additional relevant information will be released as it becomes available."

Homeland Security officials received a copy of the Illinois reports on Nov. 16 and, after reviewing a computer log, could not confirm the assertions in the documents. On Nov. 20, department experts flew to Illinois to conduct an on-site forensic analysis into why the pump failed. Federal and local officials are still trying to understand what prompted the malfunction, according to DHS officials.