"EPA Takes Action to Improve Cybersecurity Resilience for Public Water Systems"

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a memorandum emphasizing the need for states to assess cybersecurity risks at Public Water Systems (PWSs) in order to protect public drinking water. Although some PWSs have tried to improve their cybersecurity, a recent survey and reports of cyberattacks indicate that many have not adopted basic cybersecurity best practices and are, therefore, vulnerable to cyberattacks from individuals, cybercriminals groups, or sophisticated state or state-sponsored actors. This memorandum calls on states to examine best practices for cybersecurity at PWSs. Cyberattacks against critical infrastructure facilities, such as PWSs, are on the rise, and public water systems are vulnerable. Cyberattacks can result in the contamination of drinking water, posing a threat to public health, according to Radhika Fox, the EPA's Associate Administrator for Water. The memorandum conveys the EPA's assessment that states must incorporate cybersecurity while conducting periodic audits of water systems known as "sanitary surveys" and outlines the many options states can take to satisfy this obligation. This article continues to discuss the EPA's efforts to bolster cybersecurity resilience for PWSs.

EPA reports "EPA Takes Action to Improve Cybersecurity Resilience for Public Water Systems"