HACKERS TRY TO POISON TOWN WATER

Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Fla., and sought to add a dangerous level of lye to the water supply, the Pinellas County sheriff said.

The attempt on Friday was thwarted by a sharpeyed employee. The hackers remotely gained access to a software program, named Teamviewer, on the computer of an employee at the facility for the town of Oldsmar to gain control, Sheriff bob Gualtieri, pictured, said.

“The guy was sitting there monitoring the computer as he’s supposed to and all of a sudden he sees a window pop up that the computer has been accessed,” Gualtieri said. “The next thing you know, someone is dragging the mouse and clicking around and opening programs.”

The hackers then increased the amount of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, being distributed into the water supply. The chemical is typically used in small amounts to control the acidity of water, but at higher levels is dangerous to consume.