Feds Say Man Broke Into Public Water System and Shut Down Safety Processes
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Federal prosecutors have indicted a Kansas man for allegedly logging into a computer system at a public water system and tampering with the process for cleaning and disinfecting customers' drinking water. An indictment filed in US District Court for the District of Kansas said Wyatt A. Travnichek, 22, of Ellsworth County, Kansas, was an employee from January 2018 to January 2019 at the Ellsworth County Rural Water District No. 1. Also known as the Post Rock Water District, the facility serves more than 1,500 retail customers and 10 wholesale customers in eight Kansas counties. Part of Wyatt's responsibilities included remotely logging in to the water district's computer system to monitor the plant after hours. In late March 2019, Wednesday's indictment said, Post Rock experienced a remote intrusion to its computer system that resulted in the shutdown of the facility's processes for ensuring water is safe to drink. "On or about March 27, 2019, in the District of Kansas, the defendant, Wyatt Travnichek, knowingly tampered with a public drinking water system, namely the Ellsworth County Rural Water District No. 1," prosecutors alleged. "To wit: he logged in remotely to Post Rock Rural Water District's computer system and performed activities that shut down processes at the facility which affect the facility's cleaning and disinfecting procedures with the intention of harming the Ellsworth County Rural Water District No. 1." Wednesday's indictment didn't say how Wyatt allegedly gained access to the Post Rock facility. "The indictment charges Wyatt with one count of tampering with a public water system and one count of reckless damage to a protected computer during unauthorized access," adds Ars. "If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines."
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