A hacker attack in Florida, USA last Friday (5) aimed to poison the city’s water treatment system in the Old Ausmar, which has a population of about 15,000 and is located in Pinellus County.

During the occupation, the perpetrator tried to raise the level of sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, from 100 ppm (one part per million) to 11,000 ppm.

“This is someone who is trying to do something bad. It’s just ‘oh, we add some chlorine or a little fluoride, we’re talking about caustic soda,’ ”said Sheriff Bob Gaultieri of Pinellus County at a news conference Monday.

Suspicious product is used in small quantities to keep the acidity of the water at an acceptable level. However, when used in very high doses, caustic soda can cause breathing difficulties, inflammation of the lungs, burning in the stomach and loss of vision.

Authorities said the Oldsmarks quickly saw the level of sodium hydroxide in the water system without causing a major adverse effect on the population.

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According to Sheriff Gaultieri, it took 24 to 36 hours for the poisoned water to enter the city, even though no one noticed the hacker’s entry.

In a tweet Monday (8), Florida Senator Marco Rubio called on the FBI to help investigate the incident. “I would ask the FBI to provide all the assistance needed to investigate an attempt to poison the water supply in a Florida city. This should be considered as a matter of national security, ”he said.

* Intern R7 Under the supervision of Pablo Marx