Water and wastewater systems across the U.S. were noted by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan to have been subjected to debilitating cyberattacks by nation-state adversaries, including China and Iran, which could result not only in the disruption of clean water supply but also escalating costs, according to Ars Technica.
"Drinking water and wastewater systems are an attractive target for cyberattacks because they are a lifeline critical infrastructure sector but often lack the resources and technical capacity to adopt rigorous cybersecurity practices," said Sullivan and Regan in a letter to U.S. governors. Aside from calling for the implementation of basic security practices across water facilities, the letter also sought the attendance of governors' secretaries at a meeting aimed at bolstering water infrastructure cybersecurity. Meanwhile, mounting cybersecurity threats against the sector have also prompted the EPA to establish a system vulnerability-hunting Water Sector Cybersecurity Task Force.
