Inadequate cybersecurity protections continuously plaguing U.S. water and wastewater systems amid mounting cyberattacks have prompted Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., to revive legislation that would broaden the Agriculture Department's Circuit Rider Program to establish protocols and increase assistance aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity defenses of rural water systems, CyberScoop reports.
Such a bill — which comes months after an attack against the American Water Works Company in New Jersey and a year following the Biden administration's warning of debilitating intrusions against the sector — has gained the support of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, National Rural Water Association, and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership.
"These water systems face real and immediate threats from both criminals and nation-state actors that can have consequences on national security, economic productivity, and public health and safety. The existing circuit rider program that this leverages is a proven vehicle for delivering security solutions," said CSC Executive Director Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery.
