NH water utilities increase security in response to cyberattacks in other states

New Hampshire water utilities are preparing for cyber attacks, following a coordinated attack last week in Minnesota that impacted more than 30 municipalities.

The attack last week targeted key water system functions that monitor and control variables like water quality, treatment and pressure. In the days since, at least seven states have experienced cyberattacks, though no water supplies have been altered or made unsafe to drink, according to reporting from the New York Times.

The state Department of Environmental Services told NHPR it is working with federal authorities and local stakeholders.

“For these recent issues that have impacted systems in other states, New Hampshire has pushed out advisories to help systems be better prepared to ward off these kinds of cyber-attacks,” said DES spokesperson Jim Martin.

John Boisvert, who leads the state’s largest investor-owned utility Pennichuck Water, said bad actors can target certain system equipment that is connected to the internet, like pumps.

“If those aren't controlled and protected...things like this could happen,” he said.

Boisvert credited DES and federal officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for helping water systems in New Hampshire, through actions like auditing existing security protocols and bolstering certain defenses like firewalls.

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