U.S. investigating if Iran was behind cyberattack on water systems in 7 states, including Minnesota and Michigan– www.cbsnews.com

Malicious cyber activity affected technology at water systems in at least seven states this week, including Minnesota and Michigan, forcing some utilities to switch to manual operations as state and federal authorities dig into who is behind the attack, CBS News has learned.

Investigators are probing to determine whether the activity is the work of Iranian hackers, according to U.S. officials and sources familiar with the incident. Sources cautioned that since they had not definitively attributed the attack, their assessment could change as additional technical evidence is collected. They are also probing whether the actor could have attempted to appear Iran-based as a way of stirring the pot amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran.

The FBI reported incidents in “at least seven states” but didn’t identify them. On Saturday, Michigan joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on the state’s water systems but an official said all systems were operating “safely.”

Dale George, the director of communications at the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, told CBS News in a statement that the state received “a small number of reports from Michigan communities indicating activity consistent with what federal agencies described.”