There is no evidence of a cyber intrusion into the SCADA system of the water utility in Springfield, Illinois, said the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) in an email yesterday. ICS-CERT and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been investigating the reported incident of a cyber attack on the SCADA systems of the U.S. water utility resulted in a pump failure. It noted that there was no evidence to support claims made in the initial DHS Fusion Center reports. ICS-CERT received a copy of the reports on Nov 16th and inquired to the DHS field office to obtain additional information. The claims of a cyber attack have now also been dismissed by the FBI and DHS.

Prior to this statement, ICS-CERT had also circulated an email noting that it had not received any further reports of similar incidents, and recommended all entities to review its document, Improving Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity with Defense-in-Depth Strategies for more information. The report of this cyber attack had drawn widespread alarm and concern about the security of the nation’s critical infrastructure. In response to the news reports in the media, Rep Jim Langevin (D-RI), author of House cybersecurity legislation, criticized current approaches to countering cybersecurity threats and said that “the potential attack that took place in Springfield, Illinois, should be a real wakeup call."