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Suspected Iran Cyberattacks on U.S. Water Supply Follow Years of Warnings and Neglect
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- In 2023, the EPA under the Biden administration proposed stronger cybersecurity guidelines to protect the nation’s water supply, citing vulnerabilities in municipal water systems and their monitoring equipment.
- The EPA rescinded the order after lawsuits from Republican-led states and industry groups, who argued the agency lacked authority and that smaller utilities would struggle to implement the standards.
- Despite repeated cyberattacks on water systems, including a recent incident involving hackers linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, efforts to enhance cyber defenses have faced significant opposition.
- Recently, at least seven states reported water system cyber incidents to the FBI, with some hacks or responses disrupting water operations, and the total number of states affected is believed to be around a dozen.
- Federal and state officials are urgently working to counter what they suspect is a coordinated cyber assault on the U.S. water supply, attributed to Iranian hackers.
