Officials in the US say that a computer hacker has hacked a water supply plant in a city in the state of Florida to try to add poisonous chemicals to the water.
He told that a hacker has tried to increase the amount of sodium hydroxide in the water by hacking the water treatment system of Oldsmar city.
But an employee noticed it and stopped it.
Low amounts of sodium hydroxide are used to prevent acidity in water, which can have serious consequences for increasing its quantity. The Mayor of Oldsmar City says that there is a bad person who was doing this work.
So far no arrests have been made in this case and it is not even known whether the attempt to hack has been from within the US or from any foreign country.
Computers that control Oldsmar’s water treatment system were taken under control from outside on Friday.
According to the report of The Tempa Bay Times, an operator of the plant noticed the interference in the system in the morning but he felt that his supervisor was doing so.
But that same attempt was made again that afternoon and this time the hacker hacked the software of the treatment plant and increased the amount of sodic hydroxide from 100 per million to 11100 per million.
The operator immediately changed it to the normal level.
Sodium hydroxide can cause irritation to the skin and eyes and may also cause hair loss. It is corrosive.
If someone swallows it, it can cause damage to the mouth, throat and stomach. In addition to vomiting and dizziness, diarrhea can also occur.
County Sheriff Bob Gwaltieri says that ‘at any time there was no ill effect on the water and people’s lives were not in danger’.
About 15 thousand people are supplied water from this plant.
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