The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) is encouraging heightened awareness and vigilance at water and wastewater utilities. The current geopolitical environment may lead to increased Iranian cyber activity or associated physical security threats to the Water and Wastewater Sector.
What is the threat?
Last week, U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated military strikes against Iran, targeting key sites including military installations, nuclear sites, and high-ranking officials. Military strikes against Iran will likely continue in the coming weeks. As a result, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that Iranian-affiliated cyber threat actors may target information and operational technology networks and devices of U.S. infrastructure, including water and wastewater utilities.
Historically, amid geopolitical escalation/tension, Iran-aligned threat actors and others have conducted cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure, including the Water and Wastewater Sector. These actors may launch disruptive cyberattacks targeting unsecured networks and devices, exploiting unpatched or outdated software, using default or common passwords, and conducting brute-force attacks. Iranian-affiliated cyber actors may exploit these vulnerabilities to disrupt physical operations or conduct ransomware attacks against water and wastewater utilities.