Florida city might be poisoned as Hackers broke into the computer system of a water treatment facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri added the hack was noticed quickly and reversed immediately, so no one in the Tampa suburb of Oldsmar was ever in danger. 

But it underscored the broader threat of cyberattacks to US infrastructure, he also added. The hack was identified when a computer operator for the Oldsmar water treatment system noticed Friday afternoon someone remotely accessing the plant's controls, Gualtieri said. The operator watched the mouse pointer move between various functions for several minutes before opening the controls for adding sodium hydroxide to the water, as informed by the computer operator. 

Sodium hydroxide also known as lye level in the water being distributed was increased by the hackers. The chemical is typically used in small amounts to control the acidity of water, but at higher levels is dangerous to consume, acts as a poison.   "This is obviously a significant and potentially dangerous increase," he told a press conference. But the users were never threatened as it would take atleast 24 hours for the water with high lye level would reach consumers. But the safety mechanisms alerted officials to change in water quality. No information about the hacker whether it is from within or outside the United states or why the water plant has been targeted even after investigation by FBI and US Secret service. 

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