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Pennsylvania water supply hacked: How utility companies are responding in Philadelphia region

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Pennsylvania water supply hacked: How utility companies are responding in Philadelphia region


PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — There are discussions about safeguards after a cyber attack at a water plant in western Pennsylvania shut down a critical piece of technology.

Almost one week ago, the Iran-backed group “Cyber Av3ngers” claimed responsibility for a hack of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, about 30 miles outside Pittsburgh.

According to CBS Pittsburgh, a computer screen that would normally display water pressure data suddenly shut down before a message appeared on its screen.

“You have been hacked. Down with Israel. Every equipment [sic] ‘made in Israel’ is Cyber Av3ngers legal target,” the message read.

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Images alongside the message included a Star of David, the symbol on the national flag of Israel, partially submerged in liquid.

The MWAA was able to take control of its systems and resume operations with no interruptions to service. But the attack sent alarm bells all the way to Washington, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security now investigating the attack.

“The attacks are constant and there are nonstop,” Philip Ichinaga said. “So this might be state-sponsored hacking but there’s hacking going on every day, with every organization.”

Ichinaga is the Chief Information Security Officer at Saint Joe’s University. CBS News Philadelphia contacted him about the cyberattack asking what more could be done.

“Patching for security vulnerabilities or hardware, firmware vulnerabilities,” he said. “Having a branch firewall or VPN in place, a virtual private network, so you’re not directly connected to the internet, your resources,” he said.

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Three Democratic members of Congress from Pennsylvania have now asked the Department of Justice to investigate the cyberattack. Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey joined Rep. Chris DeLuzio, who represents Aliquippa and the surrounding suburbs in the House, to pen a letter to the U.S. Attorney General.

“We know that nation-state adversaries are targeting the weakest link in America’s critical infrastructure,” the three wrote. “We must ensure that our state and local governments, along with private companies, have cyber-defenses strong enough to fend off attacks from sophisticated actors.”

READ MORE from KDKA: Pennsylvania lawmakers call for action after cyberattack on Aliquippa water system

In response to questions from CBS News Philadelphia, local companies say they are keeping their systems safe.

Here’s what American Water, which serves parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, said in a statement:

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“American Water has a dedicated team of certified professionals who help maintain the cybersecurity of our informational and operational technology systems, safeguard the physical security of our staff, facilities and assets, and provide emergency response…”

And here’s a response from the Philadelphia Water Department: 

“As standard security practice for PWD, we constantly evaluate our systems for vulnerabilities based on current industry standards. The PWD has not identified any systems that use the software and devices targeted in the Aliquippa cyberattack.”

Our experts caution while some of these attack groups are sophisticated, others are not as savvy.

Still, they said utilities and other businesses need to take all the necessary precautions to firewall their systems.

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Pennsylvania

Suspect in killing of woman in Pa. motel in custody in N.J., cops say

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Suspect in killing of woman in Pa. motel in custody in N.J., cops say


A suspect in the homicide of a woman in Bensalem, Pennsylvania is in custody at the Trenton Police Department, police said Wednesday afternoon.

The suspect and victim’s identities have not been made public.

The Bensalem, Pennsylvania police and the Buck County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that officers found a woman dead at the Sleep Inn & Suites, on Street Road, early Wednesday. They did not detail the circumstances of her death.



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Shapiro threatens to pull Pennsylvania out of PJM over electricity prices

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Shapiro threatens to pull Pennsylvania out of PJM over electricity prices


Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) is warning regional electricity grid operator PJM that the state will consider leaving the organization if it doesn’t do more to protect consumers against soaring power prices.

Shapiro’s letter marks a sharp escalation of his dispute with PJM, the largest U.S. wholesale power market and transmission coordinator, serving 65 million people from the Atlantic Seaboard to Chicago.

The risk of more power price escalation “threatens to undermine public confidence in PJM as an institution,” Shapiro said in his letter to Mark Takahashi, chair of PJM’s board of managers.

In a statement Tuesday, PJM said, “We appreciate the governor’s letter and have reached out to his office to discuss next steps.”

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Group weighs potential and peril of performance funding for Pa. universities • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

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Group weighs potential and peril of performance funding for Pa. universities • Pennsylvania Capital-Star


A group of lawmakers, university administrators and the head of the Department of Education heard Tuesday about the possibilities — and perils — of tying public funding of state-related universities at least in part to their performance and students’ academic outcomes.

The Performance-Based Funding Council was created by the General Assembly last summer and tasked with making recommendations on a performance-based funding formula by the end of April. Members include four lawmakers, Interim Acting Secretary of Education Angela Fitterer and three non-voting members from the state-related schools that would be affected: Penn State, Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh. Lincoln University, an HBCU and a fourth state-related university, would not be affected.

Currently, the three state-related schools collectively receive more than $550 million in state funding annually. The move to a performance-based funding formula has been supported by lawmakers from both parties, as well as Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“These legislative hearings offer a unique opportunity to fundamentally reassess how we align public resources and educational outcomes,” said Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford), the council chairperson. “I believe we need to show the public how those resources are used and why — why we invest in higher education.”

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More than 30 states already use a performance-based funding model. According to testimony heard by the council, the most common academic targets in states with performance-based funding models include graduation rates, student retention and degree or credential completion. But a potential formula could also take into account factors like research output, administrative efficiency, and employment rates of graduated students.

While policies vary greatly around the country, about 10% of money sent to four-year schools in states with performance-based funding formulas is based on the targeted metrics, according to testimony by Andrew Smalley, a policy specialist who focuses on higher education at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

But experts warned that coming up with a comprehensive formula can be “daunting.”

“Everyone knows that colleges and universities subject to these formulas find themselves in a bit of a Catch-22,” said Charles Ansell, vice president of research, policy and advocacy at Complete College America, a nonprofit focused on best practices in higher education. “They need funds for their performance and improved graduation rates, but they cannot access funds without demonstrating improvement first.”

One potential solution, another expert testified, could be awarding funds based on improvements at an individual school over time instead of an arbitrary benchmark, like graduation rate, that applies to all schools.

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Experts also warned that some performance-based funding models can exacerbate disparities in educational outcomes between high- and low-income students, and between white and minority students.

“Performance funding is typically tied to advantages for the advantaged students and disadvantages for the disadvantaged,” said Justin Ortagus, an associate professor of higher education administration and policy at the University of Florida. Though he noted that a funding formula can take these pitfalls into account by incentivizing enrollment and degree or certification attainment for students in impacted groups.

Speakers also highlighted the benefits of performance-based funding models. Ortagus noted that they can promote institutional accountability.

It could also provide predictability when it comes to school budgets.

As it stands, Pennsylvania’s method for funding these universities requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature, which has led to months-long delays in the past. Creating a predictable funding formula that would be distributed through the Department of Education would mean future appropriations would only require a simple majority.

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Moreover, lawmakers could use performance metrics to encourage specific educational outcomes. Part of the funding formula, for example, could rely on students enrolling or graduating in programs of study that would lead to them entering high-demand fields in the job market.  

The state could also target specific outcomes based on goals like increasing low-income, veteran or minority student graduation rates, encouraging adult education and incentivizing students to enter high-demand jobs by focusing on particular majors. And the formula can be adapted when new needs or issues arise.

“It’s very common for states to revise these frequently,” Smalley said.

The council expects to hold three more hearings, some at the campuses of affected state-related universities.  Its recommendations are due to the legislature and governor April 30.

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