ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the country has been targeted by a cyberattack. New Jersey-based American Water has deactivated certain systems and paused billing as it works to figure out what’s going on.
American Water, which provides water to 14 million people in 14 states, is the latest victim of a cyberattack.
Cybersecurity expert John Sancenito says it happens to utility companies more than you may think.
“Infrastructure has been targeted by cyber security thieves for a long time,” said Sancenito, the president of Information Network Associates, Inc. “It is critical for the maintenance of everyday operations, so by going after them, they have a huge incentive to pay a ransom in order to get back online.”
American Water says it’s not doing interviews, but released a statement, saying there will be no late charges while its deactivated systems are unavailable.
It said, “Our dedicated team of professionals are working around the clock to investigate the nature and scope of the incident.”
The company added it believes none of its water, wastewater facilities, or operations have been impacted. That’s comforting news for customers, as the system in Bangor alone pumps out more than 660,000 gallons of water to Northampton County communities each day.
Law enforcement is assisting, though beyond that, details of the attack haven’t been released.
“Unfortunately, a lot of these thieves are doing a one-two punch. The first one is they’re encrypting and making sure that the organizations cannot operate normally, and then a second one, they’re holding their critical data or personal information data hostage,” said Sancenito.
So, what should people do?
“From an individual perspective, people need to pay attention to what is on their credit report…They also need to monitor their credit all the time,” said Sancenito. “From a company perspective, the best way to prevent this, really is through educating your employees. First and foremost, the weakest link in the chain is the human being.”
69 News reached out to the PA Attorney General’s Office, which said it encourages any consumer who feels they have been harmed to file a complaint.