Federal Agency Warns U.S. Cities of Increased Cyber Threats to Water Systems

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an alert encouraging cities nationwide to review the security of their water and wastewater systems. The warning follows a significant increase in cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, specifically programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that operate these facilities. Incidents have included attackers changing passwords, altering network settings, and locking operators out of equipment, leading to manual operations and boil water advisories in some areas.