(Washington) The level of protection of American water networks against cyberattacks “is absolutely not adequate”, a senior White House official warned Thursday, calling on operators in the sector to cooperate more with the federal authorities.
Posted at 9:26
The distribution of drinking water, largely automated today, is vulnerable both to a criminal cyberattack, for example in the form of ransomware (ransomware), and to an offensive by a state actor, she told a few journalists, on condition of anonymity.
Another official explained to him the administration’s strategy, which will operate “on a voluntary basis”, to convince operators in the very fragmented water sector to cooperate more with the authorities in terms of cybersecurity.
This is both to encourage operators to equip themselves with better mechanisms for detecting cyberattacks, and to encourage them to better share their information with the authorities, when they detect a threat.
The United States has experienced in recent months, like many other countries, numerous cyberattacks targeting both local communities and businesses, which have highlighted the vulnerability of certain strategic infrastructures.
In May 2021, an attack on the Colonial Pipeline company, for example, disrupted fuel distribution in the United States.
However, the federal government’s desire to increase the level of protection comes up against reluctance on the part of companies, which are sometimes reluctant to invest in cybersecurity, or who are reluctant in some cases to report the attacks of which they are victims.