Slotkin Says Iran Cyberattack Changed Michigan Water Passwords

KEMETIC MINDS
Infrastructure Watch — Daily Update — August 13, 2026

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The day’s infrastructure news was led by an Iranian cyberattack claim against Michigan water systems, new cyber guidance for Mississippi utilities, and a derecho recovery still leaving more than 200,000 Indiana customers in the dark. Here is what the sourcing shows.

• Slotkin said an Iranian cyberattack on Michigan water systems changed passwords (Detroit Free Press, 2026).
• Mississippi health officials messaged all state water systems about the specific vulnerabilities exploited in recent cyberattacks (WLBT, 2026).
• NIPSCO says more than 200,000 customers in northwest Indiana remained without power Thursday afternoon — the largest outage in its history (NBC Chicago, 2026).
• JXN Water is installing a new SCADA system with federal funding but warns there is no 100% protection guarantee (WLBT, 2026).
• Berlin hardened more than 70 substations with barbed-wire fencing and video surveillance after an arson attack (Berlin.de, 2026).
• U.N. experts say Black Sea port damage from Russia-Ukraine strikes is pushing up global wheat prices (NBC News, 2026).

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1. Water Supply

Slotkin said an Iranian cyberattack on Michigan water systems changed passwords, the Detroit Free Press reported Thursday (2026). The social post provided no further specifics, and the claim has not been independently confirmed.

In Mississippi, state health officials say they have already provided guidance to water systems across the state after the New York Times reported Aug. 1 that hackers attacked computers tied to water treatment systems in at least seven states, with no apparent impact to water safety (WLBT, 2026). William Moody, director of Environmental Health with the Mississippi State Department of Health, said the agency has “messaged the state’s water systems regarding the specific vulnerabilities exploited during the recent attacks” (WLBT, 2026). He said no systems affected by this type of attack have been identified within Mississippi (WLBT, 2026).

In Jackson, Interim Third-Party Manager Ted Henifin said JXN Water’s operations contractor “has reviewed our exposure to a cyberthreat and determined our systems are well protected with a low potential for a successful attack” (WLBT, 2026). Henifin added that the utility is using federal funding to implement a completely new SCADA system — Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition — designed to “incorporate all of the best practices to prevent distributions from cyberattacks” (WLBT, 2026). Director of Communications Aisha Carson said SCADA lets operators track water levels, pressure, flow and pump performance, receive alerts when something is outside normal conditions, and in some cases make operational adjustments remotely (WLBT, 2026).

Outside the U.S., satellite imagery taken Wednesday appears to show damaged port infrastructure after a Ukrainian drone and missile attack on Novorossiysk, Russia (NBC News, 2026). U.N. experts warn “continued disruptions to Black Sea export flows and damage to export infrastructure” are contributing to a rise in global wheat prices (NBC News, 2026). A separate op-ed in Eurasia Review argues that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s water supply network would lead to disaster and that Moscow would be to blame (Eurasia Review, 2026).

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2. Power Supply

Crews across Illinois and Indiana are still dealing with “unprecedented” destruction from Tuesday’s derecho (NBC Chicago, 2026). As of 12:30 p.m. Thursday, more than 50,000 ComEd customers in Illinois and more than 200,000 NIPSCO customers in Indiana remained without power (NBC Chicago, 2026).

NIPSCO says the storm knocked out service to more than 60% of its customers at its peak, making it the largest outage event documented in the utility’s history, with damage to poles, power lines, substations and other infrastructure (NBC Chicago, 2026). At the storm’s peak, more than 400,000 ComEd customers and more than 300,000 in Indiana were without power, and some estimates put Lake County outages at 96% (NBC Chicago, 2026). ComEd says it has restored power to more than 80% of customers; Tuesday’s storms were the 20th major event affecting its customers this year (NBC Chicago, 2026).

The outages are drawing fresh attention to home backup power. Home battery installations hit a record high in the first quarter of 2026, up 86% year over year, as owners rushed to use the now-expired 30% Inflation Reduction Act credit (CNET, 2026). Wood Mackenzie analyst Max Issokson said some of that demand bled into early 2026, but he expects the market to slow this year now that the credit is gone (CNET, 2026).

In Europe, Berlin’s grid operator Stromnetz Berlin says it has reinforced or newly erected 20 kilometers of barbed-wire-topped fencing and added video surveillance at its more than 70 substations (Berlin.de, 2026). The measures follow a September 2025 arson attack on power poles in Johannisthal that cut power to roughly 50,000 households and 2,000 businesses, and are part of a security plan presented in May that includes AI-supported surveillance, “georedundancies,” and enhanced patrols (Berlin.de, 2026).

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What’s Disputed or Unconfirmed

• Slotkin’s claim that an Iranian cyberattack changed Michigan water system passwords rests solely on her statement relayed in a brief social post; no forensic report or utility confirmation has been published (Detroit Free Press, 2026).
• The Eurasia Review piece on Ukrainian drone strikes against Russia’s water network is an op-ed, not a reported finding, and its attribution of blame to Moscow is an argument (Eurasia Review, 2026).
• The seven-state water hacking figure and the 96% Lake County outage estimate come from the New York Times (as cited by WLBT) and “some estimates” respectively, and neither has been independently audited (WLBT, 2026; NBC Chicago, 2026).
• CNET’s conclusion that home batteries remain worth buying without the tax credit is an analysis, not a news finding (CNET, 2026).

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🛡️ Free Preparedness Guides

Two free, printable checklists you can download and keep on hand — one for water-supply
disruptions, one for power outages.

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References

1. WLBT. (2026, August 13). State health officials advise water systems in wake of cyberattacks. wlbt.com
2. facebook.com. (2026, August 13). Slotkin says Iranian cyberattack on Michigan water systems changed passwords. See link below ⬇️ 📸 Cody Scanlan/The Register, Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images. facebook.com
3. NBC News. (2026, August 13). Satellite images show key port attack as Russia-Ukraine strikes threaten global food supply. nbcnews.com
4. Eurasia Review. (2026, August 12). Ukrainian Drone Attacks On Russia’s Water Supply Network Would Lead To Disaster And Moscow Would Be To Blame – OpEd – Eurasia Review. eurasiareview.com
5. berlin.de. (2026, August 13). New fences and cameras: Berlin improves protection of power grid. berlin.de
6. Cnet. (2026, August 13). The Tax Credit Is Gone, but Power Outages Aren’t. Why a Home Battery Purchase Is Still Worth It. cnet.com
7. Nbcchicago. (2026, August 13). NW Indiana dealing with ‘unprecedented' damage to power grid after derecho. nbcchicago.com

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