EPA Issues National Drinking Water Warning

EPA Issues National Drinking Water Warning

EPA Issues , National Drinking Water Warning.

On May 20, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a countrywide alert urging water utilities to take immediate action to safeguard drinking water from cyberattacks.

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On May 20, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a countrywide alert urging water utilities to take immediate action to safeguard drinking water from cyberattacks.

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The agency said that recent inspections indicate that 70% of water systems in America don't comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act, 'Newsweek' reports.

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Some water utility systems have "critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities, such as default passwords that have not been updated and single logins that can easily be compromised.".

Cyberattacks have the potential to disrupt water treatment and storage, damage equipment.

And change chemical levels to dangerous amounts.

In many cases, systems are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is to have completed a risk assessment of their vulnerabilities that includes cybersecurity and to make sure that plan is available and informing the way they do business.

, EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe, via press release.

According to the EPA's warning, countries like China, Russia and Iran.

Have "disrupted some water systems with cyberattacks and may have embedded the capability to disable them in the future.".

Drinking water and wastewater systems are an attractive target for cyberattacks because they are a lifeline critical infrastructure sector but often lack the resources and technical capacity to adopt rigorous cybersecurity practices, Michael S.

Regan, EPA administrator, and White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, via March 18 letter to all 50 U.S. governors.

The EPA is offering to train water utilities at no cost to correct some of the issues, .

But other issues are more complex and costly, which many utilities companies aren't equipped for.

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Certainly, cybersecurity is part of that, but that's never been their primary expertise.

So, now you're asking a water utility to develop this whole new sort of department, Amy Hardberger, water expert at Texas Tech University, to AP