The water industry provides the drinking water and wastewater systems we all use every day. As such, it counts as a key piece of the nation’s critical infrastructure. But it is also in the crosshairs of a dangerous new wave of cyberattacks, originating from cyber criminals and hostile nation-states.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) highlighted the scale of the problem in a recent report. In its assessment of more than a thousand drinking water systems, it found that almost one in ten had critical or high-risk vulnerabilities, many of which are difficult or expensive to patch. It noted that the lack of advanced cybersecurity in the industry means a cyberattack could cause irreparable physical damage to drinking water infrastructure.
In fact, it’s already happening. In 2023, cybercriminals with links to Iran infiltrated a U.S. water facility. And last year, one of the country’s largest water and wastewater utilities suffered a ransomware attack that forced it to take systems offline and then put them back in costly manual operation for months.
A High-Value Industry at Risk of Attack
This critical industry is being targeted in order to cause maximum havoc. It may also be an easy target, lacking the expertise to implement rigorous cybersecurity. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) outlined a number of risks in the industry’s use of operational technology (OT), including:
- Weak IT/OT segmentation: Malicious actors using IT systems as an entry point to launch attacks on the OT water control systems.
- Outdated and unpatched systems: Relying on outdated or out-of-support systems that lack modern cybersecurity protections.
- Supply chain vulnerabilities: Criminals exploiting weaknesses in third-party software and equipment to gain unauthorized access.
Source: CISA infographic
The financial impact of a cyberattack on a water facility can be huge. According to the U.S. Water Alliance, a one-day disruption in water service across the U.S. could put $43.5 billion in economic activity at risk.
Moreover, any attack that is not definitively blocked forces water operators to take their systems out of automated operation mode and switch to manual. This drastically increases the cost of operating facilities as well as jeopardizing output for customers. As noted above, it can take months before operations can return to normal.
Regulatory response: The American Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) places a legal obligation on water utilities to conduct risk and resilience assessments (RRA) and develop emergency response plans (ERP) to enhance their cyber defenses. The current deadlines for conducting mandatory five-year assessments begin in 2025. This puts water utilities under pressure to show their customers and communities that they have made significant progress in reducing cyber risk.
A Breakthrough Approach to Protecting Critical Systems
ARIA’s AZT PROTECT™ is built to help water operators solve the challenges the CISA has outlined with a simple-to-implement, low-cost approach to strengthening their cyber defenses.
Leveraging our partnership with United Flow Technologies (UFT), ARIA is already helping companies in the sector secure their critical systems within just a few days using this breakthrough solution. The big advantage is these customers get to keep their critical operations running in full automation mode—even if a cyberattack is launched against their asset. This is because the attack is instantly stopped by AZT, ensuring no impact on system performance.
Custom-built for OT environments, AZT PROTECT stops attacks by definitively blocking all forms of zero-day malware and ransomware, as well as most nation-state-backed attacks, as they try to execute on protected devices and take out critical applications.
AZT PROTECT uses AI-based countermeasures to stop both categories of attacks as they land on control systems. These countermeasures lock down critical applications from adulteration while stopping code-based attacks such as malware and ransomware from executing. It also represents the most cost-effective way to defend systems from an attack.
The stakes are higher than ever for industries in this critical sector. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Contact ARIA today to learn how AZT PROTECT can safeguard your critical infrastructure and help you stay one step ahead of the cybercriminals.