Minnesota not Iran to blame for state's water issues, says Trump

President Donald Trump has attributed recent cyber-attacks on Minnesota's water systems to the state itself and its governor, rather than Iran, despite suggestions from US investigators that the Middle Eastern nation might be responsible.

During a cabinet meeting on Friday, Trump stated, "They blamed it on Iran. I don't think so. I think I blame it on Minnesota because they're grossly incompetent," offering no evidence for his claim and labeling Democratic Governor Tim Walz as "corrupt."

Governor Walz retorted, saying, "Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too."

These comments follow an announcement from Minnesota’s state IT agency that numerous community water systems experienced a "coordinated cyber-attack" earlier in the week. The incidents, which involved remote monitoring and control of equipment, occurred on July 26 and 27.

US investigators have been exploring the possibility of Iranian involvement, according to media reports. They cautioned that their assessment was preliminary and subject to change as more data became available. This investigation unfolds amidst the ongoing US-Israel conflict in Iran and intermittent negotiations aimed at halting the continuous strikes in the region.

The BBC reached out to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which declined to confirm reports linking Iran to the Minnesota attacks. CISA subsequently issued a warning about a significant increase in hackers targeting water and wastewater systems. The agency noted that hackers have been targeting automated computers, known as PLCs, that control these systems, changing passwords to lock out operators. This has led to boil water notices and the need for manual system operation.

Trump also remarked on Friday, "They like to say, 'Oh, is Iran.' Iran should be so lucky. Iran's got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota," seemingly referencing the ongoing conflict between Tehran and the US.

Governor Walz, meanwhile, characterized the cyber-attacks as an example of "what modern warfare looks like, and it further illustrates there's no plan to win a war with Iran." He accused the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), formerly responsible for reducing US government spending and cutting jobs, of weakening CISA, thereby exposing the US to cyber-attacks.

"Thankfully, our experts in Minnesota were able to identify the vulnerability quickly and work with local communities to stop it," Walz added.

The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have jointly issued a public service announcement, revealing that water and wastewater companies in at least seven states have reported similar incidents, some resulting in "degraded water options." They stated, "After remotely accessing internet-facing devices, the actors changed the IP addresses and passwords, resulting in a loss of monitoring and control functionality."

The US has 152,000 public drinking water systems and over 16,000 wastewater treatment systems, all of which CISA deems vulnerable to threats.

Regarding the Minnesota incidents, the state's IT agency confirmed "malicious activity involving a system's technology" but noted that not all communities experienced service disruptions. John Israel, Minnesota's chief information security officer, stated, "We have provided relevant information to the federal government, which is evaluating this activity in the broader national context and leading efforts to determine whether it can be attributed to a specific threat actor."

US federal agencies have previously issued advisories warning about the threat of cyber-attacks on water and wastewater systems from foreign groups, including those from Iran. In April, CISA issued guidance warning that Iranian-affiliated hackers were attacking internet-connected operational devices, including Rockwell Automation-made PLCs. Earlier this month, this advisory was updated to include devices from other manufacturers.