New York, Dec 21 (EFE).- Iranian hackers in 2013 gained access to the control system of a small dam near New York City, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

Citing several officials and experts, the daily detailed aspects of the hack-job, which was not publicized by the authorities but was handled at the highest level.

According to the report, the computer pirates allegedly gained access to the installation via a cellular modem but were unable to actually operate – or otherwise influence operations at – the Bowman Avenue Dam, in Rye, New York, a relatively small structure some 20 feet high across Blind Brook, about five miles from Long Island Sound, and used for flood control.

U.S. intelligence agencies detected the cyber-intrusion during a check of computers that could be linked to a series of attacks against U.S. dams and which reportedly came from Iran after U.S. spies damaged a nuclear plant there using a computer virus, The Journal said.

Apart from the target of the Iranian cyberattack, which is of relatively minor importance, the daily emphasized that the case illustrates the possible vulnerabilities of computer systems that control U.S. infrastructure. EFE