Cyber crime has been increasing rapidly across the globe, and it’s difficult for cyber security experts to keep up with the constant cat and mouse game. That said, it’s not surprising that US infrastructure gets attacked on a regular basis. Late last year, several cyberattacks on American water plants led to international sanctions against Iranian officials they believe to be liable for the ordeal.

Those sanctioned include Hamid Reza Lashgarian, the head of the IRGC’s Cyber Electronic Command, and a commander in the IRCG-Quds Force.

According to reports, an Iranian-backed militia group deliberately targeted critical U.S. infrastructure. While there are no reports of side effects from the recent attack, the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s executive assistant director recently spoke to the BBC and confirmed that there could be a situation where the cyberattacks led to a safety issue with the potability of water.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is accused of targeting the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa in western Pennsylvania. According to investigators, several other water systems were targeted, but those locations have not been identified. Investigators say that all the facilities were using technology manufactured by Unitronics, which is an Israeli company. The use of that technology is what made all the facilities unsuspecting targets.

Reports show that when they targeted the facilities, they’d post their digital calling card on various screens, which stated: “down with Israel”.

Sadly, this recent attack was made possible because Iranian hackers easily disabled a monitor that was regulating water pressure by using a simple default password (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Thankfully, the attack was quickly identified, and managers took the system over manually before anything could be damaged.

While this attack wasn’t considered that serious, it does reveal the vulnerabilities present with America’s water systems. It also goes to show that the U.S. and innocent civilians can get caught up in the crosshairs of the war in the Middle East through cyberwarfare attacks.

International Cyber Crime: What You Need to Know

While you can easily get caught up in a cyber attack if you use the internet, it’s equally possible for you to get involved in a large scale hacking operation if you’re committing seemingly minor cyber crimes.

For instance, you might think a simple hack into a business’s database is no big deal, but if the information you expose in the hack gets into the hands of an international adversary, then it could be used against the country. You might not realize who you are working with, either, if you and your group of internet hackers are all working under ‘anonymous’ identities.

If you’ve recently been accused of committing cyber crimes that breached international borders, then it’s necessary to get the proper legal representation ASAP.

Depending on what happened, you could potentially be extradited to a different country and face charges in a foreign country. That’s not something you want to have to navigate unprepared. Schedule a meeting with our team now to learn more.