HOLLY — A suspected Iranian cyber group successfully gained access to the Village of Holly’s water infrastructure Thursday before abandoning the operation approximately 17 minutes later.
Federal investigators initially believed the sudden end to the intrusion meant the attackers had been detected or blocked by Village security systems. Investigators later found no evidence Holly had done anything to remove them.
According to sources familiar with the breach, the group simply stopped after reviewing the water system it had gained access to.
A spokesman for the group reportedly expressed sympathy for residents.
“Not even the water in Tehran is this bad,” he said.
Before disconnecting, the hackers restored the original passwords and left behind a spreadsheet identifying several infrastructure projects the Village should probably address before 2040.
The group later issued a statement denying responsibility for any water-related problems residents may experience, saying those conditions were present when they arrived.