Trump Blames Minnesota for Water-System Cyberattacks Despite U.S. Attribution to Iran
Summary
Trump blamed Minnesota for cyberattacks on its water systems, despite U.S. investigators attributing the activity to Iran. Experts cited CISA warnings about Iranian actors targeting programmable logic controllers and urged protection of water infrastructure.
Key points
- Trump said Minnesota was behind the attacks and dismissed Iranian involvement, while U.S. investigators have attributed the activity to Iran.
- Cybersecurity professionals criticized the remarks; several said the available evidence supports attribution to Iran.
- CISA updated an advisory warning that Iranian actors were targeting programmable logic controllers in the water sector and other sectors.
- WaterISAC said the confirmed activity aligns with the government assessment, while noting the challenges of absolute attribution.
- Minnesota IT Services said it is supporting affected communities, securing critical infrastructure and coordinating with local and federal partners as the investigation continues.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Public dispute over attribution of cyberattacks against Minnesota water systems
- Impact
- U.S. investigators and cited cybersecurity experts attributed the attacks to Iran, while President Donald Trump blamed Minnesota and disputed Iranian involvement. CISA warned that Iranian-affiliated actors were targeting programmable logic controllers in the water sector. Minnesota officials said they were supporting affected communities, securing critical infrastructure, and coordinating with local and federal partners as the investigation continued; the article does not specify the attacks’ operational impact.
People
Andy JabbourGate 15 founder and CEO, whose firm supports the water sector; he discussed attribution and the relevance of CISA and FBI warnings.Bryson BortScythe CEO and founder and ICS Village co-founder who said the evidence supported attribution to Iran and described the activity as a target of opportunity.Chris WysopalVeracode co-founder and chief security evangelist who criticized Trump’s comments as victim blaming.Cynthia KaiserFormer senior FBI cyber official who discussed attribution factors and said she strongly suspected Iran was responsible.Donald TrumpPresident who publicly blamed Minnesota for the water-system cyberattacks and disputed that Iran was responsible.Emily ZimmerMinnesota IT Services spokesperson who said the state was supporting affected communities, securing infrastructure, and coordinating with partners while the investigation continued.Jake WilliamsIANS faculty member who said U.S. intelligence services attributed the attacks to Iran.Tim WalzMinnesota governor who said the attacks affected other states too and criticized the federal response to cyber defense.Tom DobbinsWaterISAC executive director who said the organization was confident the confirmed activity aligned with the government assessment and cited evidence of earlier attacks from Iran.
Vendors
Gate 15Andy Jabbour — founder and CEO of Gate 15, a cybersecurity firm which provides support to the water sector — told CyberScoop that, “speaking candidly, I’m not even sure what he was actually saying or suggestingHalcyon“Iran ticks all these kinds of things,” Kaiser, now senior vice president at cybersecurity firm Halcyon, told CyberScoop.ScytheBryson Bort, CEO and founder of Scythe said the evidence supports the attribution with Iran, and that it looks like hackers there found something they could exploit on the internet and seized the chance.Veracode“Victim blaming in cyber is so 2000 and late,” cybersecurity pioneer Chris Wysopal, Veracode co-founder and chief security evangelist, said on the Bluesky social media platform.