American Water, the largest water company in the United States, announced that it has been hit by a cyber attack targeting its computer systems and networks. According to CNBC, unauthorized activity was discovered on October 3, prompting the company to shut down its customer service portal and billing system as a precautionary measure.
The company confirmed that this attack did not affect water supplies, and the water remains safe to drink. However, they stated that customer systems will remain offline until further notice, emphasizing that no late fees or fines related to billing will be imposed during this downtime.
Cyber attacks on critical water infrastructure in the United States are not new. In recent years, the country has seen an increase in the frequency of these attacks targeting water and sewage systems, posing a significant threat to national security. Some of these attacks have been linked to geopolitical adversaries such as Iran, Russia, and China.
In a statement issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, a spokesperson confirmed that all drinking water and wastewater systems, whether large or small, in urban or rural areas, are vulnerable to cyber attacks. This led the agency to issue a warning that 70% of the water systems reviewed do not fully comply with the security standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
While investigations are ongoing into the “American Water” attack, the company is working to restore the affected systems and assess whether customer data has been compromised.
