US Warns of Cyberattacks Against Water Systems Throughout Nation

(Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration is warning states to be on guard for cyberattacks against water systems, citing ongoing threats from hackers linked to the governments of Iran and China. Most Read from Bloomberg“Disabling cyberattacks are striking water and wastewater systems throughout the United States,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wrote in a letter to governors made public Tuesday. “These attacks have the potential to disrupt the critical lifeline of clean and safe drinking water, as well as impose significant costs on affected communities.”Hackers affiliated with the Iranian Government Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have attacked drinking water systems, while a People’s Republic of China state-sponsored group, Volt Typhoon, has compromised information technology of drinking water and other critical infrastructure systems, the letter warned. The water system is an especially vulnerable part of US infrastructure, fraught with weak controls, insufficient funding and staffing shortages. While the incidents didn’t interfere with water quality or supplies, they highlighted contentious talks between the US government and municipal water associations over how best to protect the water supply.