The US Department of Justice has indicted today a Kansas man on charges of hacking into the computer system of a local water utility and trying to sabotage water processing operations with the intent to harm the local public.
According to court documents, the incident took place on March 27, 2019, and involved Wyatt Travnichek, 22, of Ellsworth County, Kansas.
DOJ officials claim that Travnichek hacked into the computer network of the Ellsworth Rural Water District No. 1, also known as Post Rock Rural Water District, where he “performed activities that shut down the processes at the facility which affect the facilities cleaning and disinfecting procedures with the intention of harming the Ellsworth Rural Water District No. 1.”
The court documents don’t say if Travnichek’s attack was successful or how it was detected; however, officials said that the suspect worked for the water district for a year, from January 2018 to January 2019, when he resigned.
“By illegally tampering with a public drinking water system, the defendant threatened the safety and health of an entire community,” said Lance Ehrig, Special Agent in Charge of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division in Kansas.
“EPA and its law enforcement partners are committed to upholding the laws designed to protect our drinking water systems from harm or threat of harm. Today’s indictment sends a clear message that individuals who intentionally violate these laws will be vigorously prosecuted.”
If found guilty, Travnichek risks up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for computer hacking charges, and up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for tampering with a public water system.
Travnichek’s indictment comes almost two months after a similar incident was reported in Oldsmar, Florida, a city in Tampa’s metropolitan area.
Days before the Super Bowl LV game was set to be played in Tampa, a yet-to-be-identified hacker similarly broke into the Oldsmar water treatment plant’s computer network via its TeamViewer remote management software and attempted to poison the water by adding extra sodium hydroxide (lye) into the water treatment process.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The federal government is suing a small Idaho town near Grand Teton National Park for dumping toxic waste from its sewage treatment plant into a stream that feeds several scenic rivers in the region.
The lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice was filed in Idaho’s U.S. District Court on Monday.
The federal government contends the city of Driggs violated the Clean Water Act by dumping effluent with too much ammonia or violating other wastewater rules more than 2,600 times over the last seven years.
In written statement, the city of Driggs said the lawsuit was a positive development because it will allow the EPA and city officials to work together to come up with solutions.
The city of Casper has closed water access to Lake McKenzie due to the possible presence of harmful cyanobacterial blooms.
In a press release, the city advised both humans and animals — in particular, dogs — to stay away from the north Casper lake for the time being. The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is investigating the blooms, which are dense concentrations of what is often known as blue-green algae. The blooms can be harmful to both people and pets.
Parks staff reported “a small concentration of an algae-like substance in a contained area in Lake McKenzie” to the DEQ “earlier this week.” The DEQ will test samples next week to determine if the substance is indeed a bloom.
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