Over 4,400 Rockwell PLCs Exposed Online, 22 Found in Water Attack Cities

Forescout discovered over 4,400 Rockwell Automation programmable logic controllers exposed online worldwide, with nearly 2,850 of them located in the United States. A scan by the company found 22 of these exposed controllers in cities that had recently experienced cyberattacks on their water utilities. Notably, 19 of the 22 controllers in these cities used the same mobile carrier network. Forescout's scan did not confirm whether any of the exposed controllers had been compromised. The company identified the exposed controllers during a scan on August 3. The exposed controllers pose a potential risk, but there is no confirmation of actual compromise.