The Water Quality Control Division is sending the following training opportunity on behalf of the US Environmental Protection Agency:
Sign up for free cybersecurity technical assistance here
Cyber-attacks are striking critical infrastructure across the United States, including water and wastewater systems, with increasing frequency. Recent cyber-attacks on water and wastewater systems have manipulated treatment processes, disabled process control and business enterprise systems, and stolen proprietary data. Cybersecurity best practices and incident response planning can prevent or mitigate many of these attacks and are essential to the sound operation and management of water and wastewater systems.
What is the assessment and technical assistance?
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Horsley Witten Group (HWG) is offering free, confidential, cybersecurity assessments and technical assistance to interested water and wastewater utilities. The assessment consists of a questionnaire completed with HWG staff, and the technical assistance consists of developing a cyber action plan based on the results of your utility’s assessment focused on best practices to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a cyber incident. Adoption of these practices can reduce the likelihood that a cyber attack will be successful and potentially enable your utility to recover from any cyber attacks faster and at a lower cost. EPA and HWG are offering these assessments and technical assistance virtually, no on-site visit is required.
What are the expected outcomes?
All individual utility information gathered during the assessment will be protected and remain confidential. Trends in the anonymized, aggregated data will be shared with other utilities and agencies so that lessons learned from the assessments may benefit all. Participating utilities can expect to receive a straightforward overview of their vulnerabilities and suggested best practices to reduce risks to business enterprise, SCADA, and communications systems. Additionally, the utility will develop a cyber action plan with HWG and work to implement any recommended best practices at its own pace.
What does the utility need to prepare before the assessment and technical assistance?
The assessment will require input from management, information technology staff, operations and control staff, and engineers as appropriate. The utility will also need to compile and provide any existing system documentation and diagrams, policies, and procedures.
Is there any follow-up?
Yes, HWG will contact the utility on two separate occasions after the development of the cyber action plan to gauge progress and see if additional assistance is required.
How does my utility participate?
To date, EPA and HWG have worked with over 100 utilities across the United States providing free cybersecurity technical assistance. We are continuing to register interested utilities at the link below. If you would like more information about the program, contact Gemma Kite of HWG at gkite@horsleywitten.com, or (508) 833-6600.
