Cyberattacks against water systems in at least seven states in the United States have raised alarms in recent days about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and have opened a new front in the growing tension between Washington and Tehran. Although experts consider Iran to be among the main suspects, local authorities insist that there is still no conclusive evidence to attribute the offensive. Meanwhile, the episode reignites debate over the security of essential services and the role of cyberwarfare in current conflicts.

First modification: 08/04/2026 - 17:46 Last modification: 08/04/2026 - 18:01

Hacks into water systems set off alarms in at least seven states in the United States.

The alert began in Minnesota, where authorities reported that more than 30 public water systems had been the target of a "coordinated cyberattack." Days later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that similar incidents had been reported in at least seven states and warned that some of the activity negatively affected water supply operations.

Although the authorities have stressed that there is no evidence of contamination or alterations that make the water unsafe for consumption, the attacks forced them to reinforce surveillance of facilities in charge of controlling processes such as the pressure of the vital liquid and the dosage of chemical products.

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Minnesota was the first to make the incidents public, and Michigan later confirmed that some of its systems also recorded activity consistent with the attacks described by federal agencies.

What is known about Iran's possible involvement?

The main unknown remains who is behind the offensive. According to US media, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is investigating a possible connection with Iranian actors, although the agency has not officially confirmed that hypothesis.

Experts consulted by the 'BBC' consider that Iran heads the list of possible perpetrators due to the geopolitical context and its history of cyber operations against Western infrastructure. Morgan Wright, former counterterrorism adviser at the State Department, maintains that these types of attacks are usually associated with North Korea or Iran and that the current conflict between Washington and Tehran makes the Islamic Republic appear as one of the possible perpetrators.

However, the authorities are also analyzing another possibility: that those responsible have tried to simulate an Iranian origin to increase international tension and divert the investigation, a practice known in the field of cybersecurity as a false flag operation.

For now, the US Government has not made an official attribution and investigators recognize that these types of processes usually require months to gather conclusive forensic evidence.

A political clash in the midst of an investigation and a pattern that fuels suspicions

The uncertainty about the origin of the attacks also moved to the political field. President Donald Trump publicly refused to blame Iran and attributed what happened to the alleged incompetence of Minnesota authorities, led by Democratic Governor Tim Walz.

Walz responded that the president knows who the main suspects are and recalled that other states have also been affected, describing the episode as an example of "what modern war looks like."

Meanwhile, federal officials cited by US media maintain that Iran remains the main line of investigation, although they insist that the assessment remains preliminary.

Suspicions about Tehran do not arise only from the current context. In recent years, US agencies have attributed multiple espionage and digital sabotage campaigns targeting groups linked to Iran to critical infrastructure, election campaigns, hospitals, financial institutions and water systems.

Among them, Handala stands out, a group that the United States Department of Justice links to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence. According to BBC Verify, this group recently claimed responsibility for an attack on a water treatment plant in California in retaliation for US military actions against Iranian water infrastructure.

In addition, CISA had already warned in 2023 and 2024 of attacks on drinking water systems attributed to groups affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Islamic Republic, for its part, has not commented on the most recent incidents and has repeatedly rejected on previous occasions any involvement in this type of operations, demanding proof when it has been pointed out by Washington.

Beyond water: what would be the real objective?

Cybersecurity specialists agree that the immediate risk does not appear to be a health crisis.

So far there is no indication that the attackers have managed to contaminate the water or significantly disrupt the supply.

However, they warn that the true impact may lie in another area: public trust. For Jake Braun, former acting deputy director of National Cybersecurity at the White House, these types of operations seek to sow doubts about the State's ability to guarantee basic services at times of high political polarization and international tension.

Experts also warn that, in a more serious scenario, successful attacks could manipulate industrial processes, alter the chemical treatment of water, cause service interruptions or damage essential equipment.

The case has once again put the spotlight on a weakness known to US authorities: much of the water infrastructure uses old or internet-connected technological systems without adequate levels of protection.

The United States has about 152,000 public drinking water systems and more than 16,000 wastewater treatment plants, many run by local governments with limited resources to strengthen their cybersecurity.

Given the wave of attacks, CISA recommended disconnecting the most vulnerable devices from the internet, updating access credentials and strengthening digital protection measures.

While the investigation continues, the episode confirms that cyberwar has become one of the main fronts of dispute between States and that essential infrastructures, such as water and energy, are increasingly among the strategic objectives of this type of confrontations.

With local media

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