technology
Iranian Hackers Suspected of Accessing Unprotected US Gas Station Tank Monitors
Hackers accessed unprotected automatic tank gauge systems in multiple states and altered some display readings though not actual fuel levels. No physical damage occurred but the intrusions have prompted safety concerns over potential undetected gas leaks. CNN reported the breaches fit a pattern of Tehran-linked cyber activity since the war with Iran began in late February.
May 15, 2:41 PM·2m read1 source
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US officials suspect Iranian hackers are behind a series of breaches of systems that monitor the amount of fuel in storage tanks serving gas stations in multiple states. The hackers exploited automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems that were sitting online and unprotected by passwords. In some cases they were able to tinker with display readings on the tanks but not the actual levels of fuel in them.
The cyber intrusions are not known to have caused physical damage or harm. Gaining access to an ATG could in theory allow a hacker to make a gas leak go undetected, according to private experts and US officials. Iran’s history of targeting the gas tank systems is one reason the country is a top suspect, sources briefed on the investigation said.
The US government may not be able to definitively determine who was responsible because of a lack of forensic evidence left by the hackers. CNN has requested comment on the ATG hack from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The FBI declined to comment.
If confirmed, the activity would add to a string of Tehran-linked operations against US infrastructure since the war began in late February. Tehran-linked hackers have caused disruptions at multiple US oil and gas and water sites. They have also caused shipping delays at Stryker, a major US medical device maker, and leaked the private emails of FBI Director Kash Patel.
One of the groups, calling itself Handala after a Palestinian cartoon character, taunted Patel while claiming it had breached the FBI’s “impenetrable” computer systems. In reality, the hackers got into Patel’s years-old Gmail emails. ” Karadi would not comment on whether any Iranian cyber operatives were killed in that strike, citing his agency’s mandate which is limited to cyber defense.
