Retired General and ex-NSA chief Paul Nakasone said at DEF CON that programmable logic controllers (PLCs) in water systems should not be connected to the internet, following suspected Iran-linked attacks on at least 12 US states. Nakasone called for higher cybersecurity standards, noting that Iranian crews have historically targeted PLCs controlling water infrastructure. While the FBI investigates, no official attribution has been made, but security researchers believe Iran is responsible.

Nakasone said the US is in conflict with Iran and that attackers have both capability and intent.\n\nHe highlighted the massive attack surface of 50,000 municipal water systems, many underfunded with limited IT staff. To defend them, he emphasized partnerships, citing DEF CON Franklin, a volunteer hacker project securing water facilities. He also mentioned Project Chimera, an open-source cybersecurity platform for critical infrastructure.

Nakasone, now at Vanderbilt University, urged a more involved, collaborative defense approach.