As a follow up to the letter from National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan to Governors in March, Anne Neuberger, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies, and Janet McCabe, USEPA Deputy Administrator, met with State and local officials from across the United States to discuss cybersecurity within the water sector. The meeting highlighted the urgency for action by States to improve the cybersecurity of water systems to protect water resources from potential cyberattacks by foreign governments and associated criminal entities.
At the meeting, Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger requested that each State share a cybersecurity plan by May 20, 2024. The cybersecurity plans should include details for how States are working with both drinking water and wastewater systems to determine where they are vulnerable to cyberattacks and what actions they are taking to include cybersecurity protections. Neuberger encouraged States to tap into resources available from the USEPA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to support their work. For more information visit the Water and Wastewater Cybersecurity website.
USEPA outlined actions being taken to establish a Water Sector Cybersecurity Task Force to identify near-term actions and strategies to reduce the risk of water systems nationwide to cyberattacks. For information about the USEPA cybersecurity program, visit USEPA’s Cybersecurity for the Water Sector website. The site includes information about cybersecurity assessments, planning, training, response, and funding.