Minnesota IT officials disclose 'coordinated cyberattack' at more than 30 local water systems

Emily Zimmer, a spokesperson for the agency, told Reuters in an email that while the investigation remains ongoing, "the timing, methods of access, and targeted infrastructure share characteristics with other coordinated cyber incidents our federal partners have observed involving critical infrastructure."

Zimmer said the agency could not yet discuss formal attribution or specifics of the incidents. Zimmer said the agency used the term "attack" to describe the situation "because investigators identified unauthorized access with malicious intent directed at these systems."

The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

While it is not yet clear who is responsible for the attacks, Iranian-linked hackers have for years targeted U.S. water systems to varying levels of success.