The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns that hacktivists have been tampering with online systems that control water, energy and agricultural facilities.
Alert says systems may be 'victims of opportunity'
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The alert says one of the attacks involved a grain drying silo on a Canadian farm, not pictured, where temperature and humidity levels were manipulated. (Seth Perlman/The Associated Press)The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security warns that hacktivists have been tampering with online systems that control water, energy and agricultural facilities.
An alert sent to information security officers says the Cyber Centre and the RCMP have received multiple reports in recent weeks of incidents involving internet-accessible industrial control systems.
The centre's alert says interference with water pressure at an unnamed facility affected service to a community.
In another incident, manipulation of an automated tank gauge triggered false alarms at a Canadian oil and gas company.
The alert says a third case involved changes to temperature and humidity levels in a grain-drying silo on a Canadian farm which created potentially unsafe conditions.
The centre, which is a division of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), says that while individual organizations may not be direct targets, they may become "victims of opportunity" as hacktivists try to gain media attention, discredit organizations and undermine Canada's reputation.