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The nation's largest water and wastewater utility announced Monday: suffered a cyber attack This disrupted customers' access to billing and payment platforms.
American Water is based and operates from Camden, New Jersey. water and wastewater Serving approximately 1,700 communities in 14 states and 18 U.S. military installations, it is the largest water utility in the United States, serving more than 14 million people, it says on its website .
The company said in a release that it detected “unauthorized activity” on its computer networks and systems on Thursday, October 3, and shut down the systems to protect data and prevent further damage.
“American Water recently became aware of unauthorized activity on our computer networks and systems and determined it was the result of a cybersecurity incident,” the company said. “As part of our response, we have proactively taken our customer portal service, MyWater, offline, which means suspending billing until further notice. We are working diligently to get it back online.”
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American Water said its operations and services were uninterrupted due to the cyberattack that led to the closure of its customer portal. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Our dedicated team of experts is working around the clock to investigate the nature and scope of the incident. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this incident may cause and want to ensure these systems are secure “We are working diligently to remediate and bring it back online in a reliable manner,” American Water added.
| ticker | safety | last | change | change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWK | American Water Works Co., Ltd. | 137.39 | +0.40 |
+0.29% |
The company said it has activated incident response protocols and brought in third-party cybersecurity experts to assist in “incident containment, mitigation, and investigation of the scope and nature of the incident.”
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Earlier this year, the Biden administration and the Environmental Protection Agency warned states about cyberattacks on water utilities after an Iranian-linked group attacked a water utility in Pennsylvania. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
American Water added: Law enforcement has been notified It said it was “cooperating fully with them” in response to the cyber incident.
The company said on its website that it does not believe its water and wastewater facilities or operations were adversely affected by the incident and that the water is safe to drink.
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American Water has announced that its water is safe to drink despite the cyber attack. (license/image)
Customers will not be charged late fees or suspend service while American Water's MyWater billing portal is offline.
American Water manages more than 500 water and wastewater systems across the country, treating and delivering more than 1 billion gallons of water per day.
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The states in which American Water operates include its home states: new jerseyPennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, California, and Hawaii.
