New Jersey-based American Water, the largest water and wastewater utility in the U.S., was forced to pause operations and take its customer service portal offline due to what it categorized as a “cybersecurity incident.”
The utility, which serves about 14 million people, says it does not believe water or wastewater treatment facilities were impacted by the attack. The utility manages more than 500 facilities in 1,700 communities in 14 states. The utility sent a press release emphasizing that water is still safe to drink.
The utility, working with third-party cybersecurity experts, is working diligently to assess the extent of the attack. Just a few days after the attack was recognized, the utility’s customer service portal was back online and operational.
According to CNBC, cyberattacks against water utilities are on the rise, and Environmental Protection Agency data show that 70 percent of facilities don’t comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act because of some “alarming cybersecurity vulnerabilities,” including default passwords and former employees who still have access to systems.
Greg Zimmerman is senior contributing editor for FacilitiesNet.com and Building Operating Management magazine.
