Sanitary Inspections and Digital Protection
In a recent development, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reaffirmed its commitment to the cybersecurity of public water systems, despite the withdrawal of an interpretive memorandum on October 11, 2023.
The withdrawn memorandum, titled Addressing Public Water System Cybersecurity in Sanitary Surveys or an Alternate Process, was issued by the EPA on March 3, 2023. However, its withdrawal was due to ongoing litigation.
Despite this, the EPA's dedication to the water sector's cybersecurity remains unwavering. The Agency continues to explore opportunities to lower cybersecurity risk for public water systems and supports states, drinking water systems, and wastewater systems by providing technical assistance. This assistance includes cybersecurity risk assessments, subject matter expert consultations, and training.
The EPA encourages all states to voluntarily review public water system cybersecurity programs to ensure that vulnerabilities are identified and corrected. Since the publication of the EPA Cybersecurity Memorandum on October 11, 2023, no publicly reported states in the search results have been identified as reporting cybersecurity attacks on drinking water and wastewater systems.
Cybersecurity is a serious and increasing threat to drinking water and wastewater utilities, as cybersecurity attacks on these systems occur frequently. Improving cybersecurity across the water sector remains one of EPA's highest priorities.
To further aid in this mission, the EPA has released a new cybersecurity fact sheet on October 12, 2023. This fact sheet, along with the Agency's interpretive rule on cybersecurity, can be found in the provided PDFs.
The EPA will continue to work with states, Tribes, and territories to protect the public from the threats created by cybersecurity incidents. The Agency remains committed to using available tools and resources to help protect communities from cyber-threats facing water systems.
For more information, see the EPA's fact sheet below. The EPA's commitment to the water sector's cybersecurity remains strong, despite the withdrawal of the interpretive memorandum. The Agency will continue to explore opportunities to lower cybersecurity risk for public water systems and support the water sector in its efforts to strengthen its cybersecurity defences.
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