The safety and resilience of our nation's water infrastructure has never been more important. In recent years, the frequency and severity of cyber-attacks targeting local drinking water systems has escalated to an alarming level, posing a serious threat to public health and safety.
Recognizing the urgency of this issue, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken decisive steps to strengthen the cybersecurity defenses of water systems across the nation.
on monday. The EPA has issued a comprehensive enforcement alert outlining urgent cybersecurity vulnerabilities plaguing the nation's drinking water systems.
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The alert was part of a broader government-wide effort led by the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to address growing infrastructure and cybersecurity risks. .
EPA's recent inspections revealed that the majority of water systems (more than 70%) are not fully compliant with the requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act. Even more concerning, many of these systems have significant cybersecurity weaknesses, such as default passwords that are never updated or single login credentials that can be easily compromised. That's what happened.
As EPA and its state and federal security partners continue to identify these vulnerabilities based on successful cyberattacks on water systems across the United States, EPA recognizes the need for urgent action. Threats to the nation's drinking water have reached critical mass and require immediate intervention to protect public health and safety.
To address this growing crisis, EPA has committed to fully utilizing its enforcement authority under the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure water systems take the necessary steps to protect against cyberattacks.
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“Protecting our nation's drinking water is fundamental to EPA's mission, and we are committed to using all tools, including enforcement authorities, to ensure our nation's drinking water is protected from cyberattacks. '' said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “EPA's new enforcement warning helps communities understand the urgency and severity of cyberattacks and ensures water systems are prepared to deal with these serious threats to our nation's public health. This is the latest step the Biden-Harris administration is taking to do so.
The agency has committed to significantly increasing the number of planned inspections of water systems and will take civil and criminal enforcement actions where necessary. This includes responding to situations that may pose an immediate and serious risk to public health.
Inspections will focus on verifying that water systems are meeting their obligations to regularly assess resilience vulnerabilities, including cybersecurity, and to develop comprehensive emergency response plans. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in swift and decisive enforcement action.
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EPA's efforts to protect the nation's drinking water are part of a broader, coordinated strategy involving multiple agencies and state-level partners.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan recently sent a letter to governors across the country expressing the urgency of cybersecurity threats and the need for comprehensive measures to address these vulnerabilities. He emphasized the importance of federal and state agencies working together to develop strategic strategies.
Following this meeting, the National Security Council encouraged each state to develop an action plan outlining strategies to reduce the most significant cybersecurity risks in the state's water and wastewater systems. These plans are expected to be submitted by late June 2024.
EPA is also working closely with the Water Sector Coordinating Council and the Water Government Coordinating Council to establish a dedicated task force. This task force will be responsible for identifying additional short-term actions and strategies to reduce the risk of cyberattacks on water and wastewater systems nationwide.
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