American company American Water Works Co. Inc., which provides drinking water and sewage services to more than 14 million people, reported about the hacking of its computer networks and systems. The attack was discovered on October 3, after which the company immediately began measures to contain the threat.
In an attempt to limit the scale of damage, the American Water Works deactivated a number of its systems. Then the investigation began. Despite the seriousness of the situation, in the statement for the regulatory authorities, representatives noted that at the moment there is no reason to believe that water supply and sewage systems were affected. However, all the consequences are difficult to predict so far.
This case fits into an alarming tendency for cyber attacks on the water infrastructure of the United States. In recent months, American government officials and analysts of cyber urosish have repeatedly warned of increasing the number of hacker attacks on the country’s water systems. Earlier this year, the US authorities have accused the Chinese group of Volt Typhoon, financed by the state, in penetration into the water supply infrastructure.
President Biden’s administration called the states to strengthen vigilance against cyber attacks to water supply systems, referring to constant threats from the attackers associated with the governments of Iran and China. These warnings are precisely acquiring particular relevance in the light of a recent incident with the American Water Works.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, American Water Works does not believe that the incident will affect the company’s activities or its financial situation.