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U.S. Dams Face Growing Cyber Threats

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Critical Infrastructure Security

Hacks on Unregulated Dams Can Result in Mass Casualties, Experts and Lawmakers Warn

Chris Riotta (@chrisriotta) •
April 18, 2024    

Hacking the Floodgates: U.S. Dams Face Growing Cyber Threats
Dams need better cybersecurity, warn experts. (Image: Shutterstock)

Could a hacker seize control of America’s dams, unleashing floods and chaos across vulnerable communities? Cybersecurity analysts and leading lawmakers warn it’s possible.

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During an April hearing on cybersecurity threats to critical water infrastructure, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., used stunningly apocalyptic framing to raise his concerns.


“As the chairman of the subcommittee responsible for dams, I don’t want to wake up to a news report about a small town in the Pacific Northwest getting wiped out because of a cyberattack against a private dam upriver,” the senator said.


Influential voices in the cybersecurity field typically avoid alarmist scenarios, favoring practical, actionable responses to threats. But with the majority of dams under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission oversight not having undergone comprehensive cyber audits, and only four full-time employees tasked with overseeing 2,500 dams nationwide, experts agree with Wyden about the vulnerability of the sector to cyberattacks that could result in loss of human lives.


“Human life and safety are in play here,” Padriac O’Reilly, a water cyber risk advisor for the Defense Department and chief innovation officer of the cyber risk firm, CyberSaint, told Information Security Media Group. “Operational technology, population centers near dams, critical power generation capacity – all of these coupled with a lack of knowledge with respect to the maturity of cyber risk management adds up to a very concerning…

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Vans, North Face parent downplays cyberattack

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U.S. global apparel and footwear company VF Corporation, which owns Vans, The North Face, and Supreme, emphasized that the December cyberattack that impacted data from 35.5 million customers did not include any bank information or credit card details, The Register reports.

In an email sent to impacted individuals, VF Corp. insisted that it never collected or retained financial or payment information outside the payment method used for customer purchases while reassuring that the incident did not result in any password exposure. Attackers were able to compromise individuals’ full names, phone numbers, email addresses, and billing and shipping addresses, as well as order histories, payment methods, and total order values but there has been no evidence suggesting any misuse of such exfiltrated information, said VF Corp., which still urged affected customers to be wary of potential phishing, identity theft, and fraud incidents.

Immediate password changes for VF Corp. accounts and other accounts sharing similar credentials have also been advised.

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Black Majority Schools Face Alarming Internet Security Risks, Report Finds

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There is a large digital divide affecting low-income and Black or Indigenous majority schools, a recent report by Internet Safety Labs (ISL) has found.

Ads and trackers

The report “Demographic Analysis of App Safety, Website Safety, and School Technology Behaviors in US K-12 Schools” explores technological disparities in American schools, focusing mainly on marginalized demographics.

This research expands on ISL’s previous work on the safety of educational technology across the country and is supported by the Internet Society Foundation. It reveals how schools of different backgrounds use technology and the risks involved.

One concerning finding is that websites for schools with mostly Black students were the least safe.

One-third of these schools had advertisements on their websites—a rate much higher than the national average—and 100% of the websites had trackers monitoring visitor behavior.

Privacy or digital divide?

The study also highlights a broader problem: a digital divide in how technology is used in education.

Schools in the lowest income bracket, making between $20,000 and $39,000, were among the least likely to provide their students with computing devices. This limits these students’ experience with technology.

Furthermore, the technology that is recommended or required often poses privacy risks, including apps filled with digital and behavioral ads.

Similar trends were seen for schools with the most American Indian/Native Alaskan students, leading to concerns about how this digital divide impacts students’ learning and their understanding of technology.

What Is The Solution?

The report suggests several actions for schools, school districts, and policymakers.

It recommends eliminating digital ads and tracking devices on school websites.

It also emphasizes the importance of schools being transparent about the technology they use, suggesting they publish a comprehensive list of required technology so students and parents know what’s expected.

Finally, it suggests schools should thoroughly vet all technology they recommend or require for educational use, to ensure it’s safe and appropriate…

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Android Users Could Finally Have Face ID-Like Security Tech Thanks To This Startup

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Apple has offered Face ID on iPhones for a few years and its security is fool-proof enough for the company to completely stop having the Touch ID. The situation with Android phones has been different, as people tend to feel safer with the biometric finger sensor than the software-enabled face unlock feature.

But we could finally have a breakthrough thanks to this one startup which has joined hands with one of the biggest mobile brands to make the security tech affordable and ready for mass adoption.

The startup named Metalenz based in Harvard Labs has partnered with Samsung and talked about Polar ID which is likely to be the Face ID rival and finally a secure facial recognition tech for Android users. Samsung’s role in its development is the use of the ISOCELL Vizion 931 sensor from the company.

Metalenz has claimed that Polar ID is the ideal tool ready to be deployed at a mass level as the tech is said to be smaller, affordable yet secure than the face unlock feature that works on your Android phone, which is very easy to believe.

So what makes Polar ID safer than the existing tech features?

Metalenz has a facial authentication tech that is claimed to capture the unique signature of each user, something that Apple also offers with Face ID on iPhones. Having secure facial tech will be crucial because people tend to use the feature for making payments and the future of passkeys makes it an even more pivotal part of the setup.

Samsung is offering the sensor that has been paired with the security tech, and having a giant in its wing means you can have the cost of economies in play, allowing more brands to tap into the feature and bring it to more users.

It has been mentioned that Android phones could see Polar ID tech available by the second half of 2024, which might make it mainstream by next year. We’ll be eager to test the feature and see how it stacks up against Face ID. Having said that, Metalenz sees the tech going beyond security and maybe even part of the mixed reality ecosystem.

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