Home technology cyber-security American Water Works Company Reports Cybersecurity Incident; Service Not Impacted
Cyber Security
CIO Bulletin
2024-10-09
A cybersecurity incident hit American Water Works, but there was no impact on water services, the firm told. Response protocols were set into action at the company and cybersecurity experts engaged for investigation.
Last month, American Water Works Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that its computer systems were the target of hacking incident on October 3rd. The utility company, however, does not anticipate any effects on its water and wastewater services.
The firm, which submitted a Form 8-K, said the following: “The Company immediately responded after being notified of this activity by activating its incident response protocols and working with third party cybersecurity experts to contain, mitigate and investigate.”
Law enforcement and the probe are being fully participated in and they have also contacted law enforcement. Several systems have been disconnected as a preventative measure in order to protect the Company’s systems and information.
At this time, the total consequences of the episode are indeterminate; however, the firm does not expect any significant adverse implications for its financial position or operational performance.
While that is going on, Wallarm security strategy consultant Tim Erlin spoke about the issue, pointing out that cyber-attack can now target critical infrastructure. He spoke in more detail about those problems, and cited examples like the time a man in Florida tried to poison the water supply in Oldsmar in 2021. According to Erlin, the fact that systems were taken offline may imply a coordinated assault on APIs or web application services.
Additionally, this comes on the heels of a CISA advisory on the interdependent weaknesses of operational technology in the water industry. During the ongoing investigations, CISA has turned its attention to protecting the water and wastewater systems because these sectors tend to lag behind in cyber protection.
Digital-marketing
Artificial-intelligence
Lifestyle-and-fashion
Food-and-beverage