Cybersecurity highlighted in October, critically important year-round

In observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) is highlighting its cybersecurity guidance and resources to promote the security and resilience of drinking water and wastewater systems.

AWWA has developed a new two-day seminar for the water sector called Consequence-Driven, Cyber-Informed Engineering (CCE) Training. Scheduled for Nov. 2-4 in Phoenix, the seminar will provide participants with a fundamental knowledge of the emerging CCE methodology developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory to improve cyber-defense of critical infrastructure systems.

The seminar is designed specifically for water sector infrastructure owners, engineers, operators, vendors, contractors, and manufacturers and presents a more proactive and effective approach to cyber defense.

“Water and wastewater utilities must remain ever-vigilant to ongoing risks of cyber-attacks, ransomware attacks and other malicious activity, and this seminar shares the current best practices in cyber defense,” said Kevin Morley, AWWA’s federal relations manager, who testified before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security earlier this year about approaches needed for water system cybersecurity.

Morley also discussed cybersecurity in the water sector alongside Joel Cox of West Yost Associates in a podcast on Unsolicited Response, hosted by Dale Peterson (pictured right).

Other AWWA resources to help water utilities understand cybersecurity policies, comply with requirements and implement best practices include:

• Water Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Guidance, a step-by-step guide to protect process control systems from cyberattacks
• Water Sector Cybersecurity Risk Management Tool, which helps utilities develop a cybersecurity risk management strategy and facilitates compliance with cybersecurity provisions included in America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) of 2018
• Water Sector Risk Management Guidance for Small Systems, a guide to help small utilities serving fewer than 10,000 people improve cybersecurity practices

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Cybersecurity Alliance have promoted Cybersecurity Awareness Month annually since 2004 to raise cybersecurity awareness nationally and internationally. This year’s theme is “See Yourself in Cyber.”