Deluzio, Casey, Fetterman Call For DOJ Investigation Into Cyberattack On Aliquippa Water Authority

Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) and United States Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) recently sent a letter to United States Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for the Department of Justice to fully investigate the recent cyberattack on the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa. An Iranian-backed hacker group claimed responsibility for the cybercrime, stating they were able to hack into the Israeli-made components in the water system that serves thousands of households in Western Pennsylvania.

In the letter sent on Tuesday November 28th, the lawmakers also urged aggressive prosecution of the attackers, emphasizing their concern that this cybercrime poses a threat not only to Western Pennsylvania, but also the entire nation.

“Any attack on our nation’s critical infrastructure is unacceptable,” write the Pennsylvania lawmakers in the letter. “If a hack like this can happen here in Western Pennsylvania, it can happen elsewhere in the United States. Folks in Pennsylvania and across the country deserve peace of mind that basic infrastructure such as their drinking water is safe from nation-state adversaries and terrorist organizations. We know that nation-state adversaries are targeting the weakest link in America’s critical infrastructure. We must ensure that our state and local governments, along with private companies, have cyber-defenses strong enough to fend off attacks from sophisticated actors. In Congress, we are committed to pushing our federal government to help shore up our defenses across our critical infrastructure.”

A full copy of the letter is available here.