American Water Works, the largest water utility in the U.S., announced that hackers had breached its computer networks and systems. The company, which provides drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people in 14 states and on 18 military installations, became aware of the unauthorized activity last Thursday. In response to the cyberattack, American Water took protective steps, including shutting down specific systems.
The company stated that it does not believe its facilities or operations were impacted by the incident but acknowledged it is “currently unable to predict the full impact.
An American Water spokesperson said in an email, “In an effort to protect our customers’ data and to prevent any further harm to our environment, we disconnected or deactivated certain systems. There will be no late customer charges while these systems are unavailable.”
The company is “working around the clock to investigate the nature and scope of the incident,” the spokesperson added.
Cyberattack prompts protective measures
American Water has notified law enforcement and is cooperating with them. According to its website, American Water manages more than 500 water and wastewater systems in about 1,700 communities across California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Shares of the company dropped $5.58, or 3.9%, to close at $136.99 on Monday, leaving it with a market capitalization of $26.69 billion.
U.S. officials have recently raised concerns about potential attempts by Chinese intelligence to breach critical U.S. infrastructure networks, including water-treatment facilities. This follows a cyberattack targeting U.S. broadband providers allegedly linked to the Beijing government.
