(AGENPARL) – mar 19 marzo 2024 Issued: Mar 19, 2024 (2:54pm EDT)
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Biden-Harris Administration engages states on safeguarding water sector
infrastructure against cyber threats
WASHINGTON – Today, March 19, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Michael Regan and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent a
letter to all U.S. Governors inviting state environmental, health and homeland
security Secretaries to a convening by their deputies to discuss the urgent
need to safeguard water sector critical infrastructure against cyber threats.
This meeting will highlight current federal and state efforts to promote
cybersecurity practices in the water sector, discuss priority gaps in these
efforts, and emphasize the need for states and water systems to take immediate
action.
This virtual meeting will take place on Thursday, March 21, 2023, from 12:30pm
– 2:00 pm EST. EPA will be sending meeting registration information to the
states separately via email.
“Drinking water and wastewater systems are a lifeline for communities, but
many systems have not adopted important cybersecurity practices to thwart
potential cyberattacks,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “EPA and
NSC take these threats very seriously and will continue to partner with state
environmental, health, and homeland security leaders to address the pervasive
and challenging risk of cyberattacks on water systems.”
“The Biden Administration has built our national security approach on the
foundational integration of foreign and domestic policy, which means elevating
our focus on cross-cutting challenges like cybersecurity,” said National
Security Advisory Jake Sullivan. “We’ve worked across government to
implement significant cybersecurity standards in our nation’s critical
infrastructure, including in the water sector, as we remain vigilant to the
risks and costs of cyber threats. We look forward to continuing our
partnership with the EPA to bolster the cybersecurity of America’s water and
wastewater systems.”
The National Security Council (NSC) and EPA are encouraging all states to join
this dialogue to drive rapid improvements to water cybersecurity and reinforce
collaboration between state and federal entities and water systems.
Additionally, EPA will strive to collaborate with the Water Sector and Water
Government Coordinating Councils in forming a Water Sector Cybersecurity Task
Force to identify near-term actions and strategies to reduce the risk of water
systems nationwide to cyberattacks. In addition to considering the prevalent
vulnerabilities of water systems to cyberattacks and the challenges
experienced by some systems in adopting best practices, this Task Force in its
deliberations would seek to build upon existing collaborative products, such
as the 2023 Roadmap to a Secure and Resilient Water and Wastewater Sector and
recommendations stemming from the meeting with Environmental, Health and
Homeland Security Secretaries.
These collaborative efforts will result in advances that will better protect
the nation’s critical water infrastructure from cyberattacks.  For
information about EPA’s cybersecurity program or details about the upcoming
meeting please visit EPA’s Cybersecurity for the Water Sector website.
Background
Disabling cyberattacks are striking water and wastewater systems throughout
the United States. These attacks, carried out by countries and criminals, have
the potential to disrupt the critical lifeline of clean and safe drinking
water, as well as impose significant costs on affected communities. As the
Sector Risk Management Agency identified in Presidential Policy Directive 21
for water and wastewater systems, EPA is the lead federal agency for ensuring
the nation’s water sector is resilient to all threats and hazards.
EPA and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) offer guidance, tools, training,
resources, and technical assistance to help water systems to execute these
essential tasks. Further, cybersecurity support and technical assistance are
available from state programs as well as private sector associations like the
American Water Works Association, the National Rural Water Association, and
the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center. State leadership and
messaging to connect water systems with these tools and resources is essential
to ensure that utility leaders assess and mitigate critical cyber risks.
Additionally, Homeland Security Advisors are also a resource to providing
links to federal cybersecurity efforts and access to relevant information
about these threats.
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