By: Richard L. Smith
According to information released by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and reporting by The Wall Street Journal, a recent wave of cyberattacks targeting water and wastewater systems across the United States is drawing renewed attention to the cybersecurity of New Jersey’s drinking water infrastructure, even though there are no confirmed reports that public water systems in the Garden State have been affected.
The Wall Street Journal reported that federal officials, including the FBI, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), warned that hackers targeted water utilities in multiple states, disrupting digital monitoring systems and forcing some facilities to temporarily rely on manual operations.
Authorities said there is no evidence that drinking water was contaminated during the incidents.
According to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the state’s Water Quality Accountability Act requires many public water systems to maintain cybersecurity programs, participate in the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC), and report qualifying cybersecurity incidents involving their operational or business systems.
While no New Jersey utilities have been publicly identified as victims of the recent cyber campaign, the national incidents highlight the growing concern over cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure.
Federal officials continue urging water providers to strengthen passwords, restrict remote access, update aging systems, and maintain the ability to operate facilities manually if automated systems are compromised.
State officials have not issued any advisories indicating that New Jersey’s drinking water has been impacted, and there have been no announced service disruptions related to the recent wave of cyberattacks.