A SCADA threat this wasn’t, but still not a good reflection on utility’s security
After this month’s now disputed cyber-attack on an Illinois water authority site, you can’t blame the utility industry for being a bit under stress.
Perhaps such stress relief was what one water department employee had in mind when he allegedly set up a moonshine operation using the Groton, Mass., water supply facility.
More: 20 of the weirdest, wackiest and stupidest sci/tech stories of 2011 (so far!)
CBS in Boston is reporting today that that the water department employee in question has resigned and that there was never any threat to the public water supply from the operation.
From the CBS story: Groton Town Manager Mark Haddad confirmed that distilling equipment and some mason jars containing alcohol were found at the water treatment plant last month. According to Haddad, the setup was simple, consisting of a hot plate, some copper wire and some bottles. “That was stuff that really shouldn’t have been in the water treatment plant. It wasn’t known to the water superintendent who discovered it. We decided to have the police come down and test some of the liquid samples,” said Haddad. Haddad, who wouldn’t confirm the identity of the worker, says the case is being reviewed by police.
Another report said that the police will neither “confirm nor deny anything that is an ongoing investigation,” including the employee’s name or whether the employee was distilling moonshine with the intent to sell. Selectman Peter Cunningham said the incident is further complicated by the fact that the operation allegedly took place inside a town-owned facility.
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