Cyberattacks targeting water utilities across the country have increased in frequency and severity, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warned Monday as it urged community water systems to take immediate steps to reduce cybersecurity vulnerabilities and protect the nation’s public drinking water supplies.
The EPA has issued an enforcement alert detailing “urgent cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities” to community drinking water systems, the agency said in a news release Monday. A majority of water systems — over 70% — inspected by the EPA since last September violated standards in the Safe Drinking Water Act, according to the alert.
The Safe Drinking Water Act was established to protect public health by regulating public drinking water supplies in the country, according to the EPA. Among those inspected, the agency identified “alarming” cybersecurity vulnerabilities in some water systems.
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