Iran-Linked Hacker Group Claims Breach of California Water System

A hacker group suspected of being linked to Iran has claimed to have breached water infrastructure systems in California, United States. The action has triggered an intensive investigation by one of the state’s largest utility companies, although local authorities have stated there is no evidence yet that public water supplies have been disrupted. The group, which calls itself Handala, stated it hacked systems connected to California Water Service (Cal Water) and successfully accessed internal data. They framed the cyber intrusion as retaliation for alleged recent American attacks on Iran’s water infrastructure, amid heightened geopolitical tensions since late February. Speaking to Iranian media outlet Press TV, Handala presented evidence in the form of screenshots of customer billing records and internal dashboards. They claimed to have obtained approximately 5 gigabits of data, specifically from the Bakersfield, Visalia, and Chico areas. Cal Water stated it is working around the clock to investigate the claim alongside state and federal government partners. To date, the company has confirmed that no services have been affected by the suspicious activity. “Our investigation is ongoing, but initial findings continue to indicate there is no known operational disruption to our water and wastewater systems, including billing platforms,” said Cal Water spokesperson Yvonne Kingman. The hacking claim emerged after Iranian state media reported that a US airstrike the previous Wednesday had destroyed a drinking water facility near the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed via platform X that it had indeed conducted strikes in the region using precision munitions from US Air Force and Navy fighter jets. Public health and cybersecurity officials in the United States are now on heightened alert. They have warned that foreign actors are highly likely to continue targeting critical US infrastructure in response to ongoing geopolitical tensions.