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Map Shows States Hit By Cyberattacks on Water Systems
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. A wave of cyber incidents targeting water and wastewater infrastructure has put utilities across multiple states on high alert, as federal authorities investigate attacks that have disrupted operations and exposed vulnerabilities in critical public services.
The FBI and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned on July 30 that malicious cyber actors had targeted water and wastewater systems in at least seven states since July 27, 2026, causing operational disruptions and, in some cases, degrading water operations.
Since then, incidents in fours states appear to match the federal warning.
According to the FBI alert, attackers targeted internet-facing Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), which are devices used to monitor and control industrial equipment at water and wastewater facilities.
The agency said hackers altered IP addresses and passwords, causing utilities to lose monitoring and control capabilities. Reported consequences included flooding and pressure loss in affected systems.
Federal officials said water utilities reported incidents in at least seven states—at the time of reporting, the agencies haven’t identified the affected states—and urged operators to remove exposed control systems from the public internet and strengthen cybersecurity protections.
Newsweek has r eached out to the FBI for clarification on which states have been affected, and also the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for further details about the attacks.
The largest publicly disclosed cluster of incidents has emerged in Minnesota.
Earlier this week, state officials said cyberattacks had targeted more than 30 water systems across the state . The attacks drew national attention after President Donald Trump referenced the incidents while discussing cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure, calling Minnesota officials " grossly incompetent ."
Officials haven’t publicly identified who was responsible, and investigators are continuing to examine the origin of the attacks.
Michigan also reported a cyber incident affecting a water system. State officials said a small number of communities reported incidents matching the tactics described by the FBI and EPA .
According to reports, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said hackers altered settings on equipment connected to a wastewater facility. The incident was successfully contained, and authorities said there was no threat to drinking water supplies.
Rapid City, South Dakota, announced this week that one of its wastewater lift stations had been targeted in a cyber incident.
City officials said the attack did not affect drinking water quality or public safety, but confirmed that hackers had attempted to interfere with wastewater infrastructure. The city said it had isolated the impacted systems and was working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to investigate. Local authorities stressed that Rapid City's water supply remained safe.
California has also experienced a recent water infrastructure cyber incident.
In June, Government Technology reported that California Water Service (Cal Water), one of the largest water utilities in the western United States, launched an investigation after a hacking group claimed it had breached the company's systems.
Investigators determined that hackers accessed one active customer's online Cal Water account using stolen login credentials, but found no evidence that the attackers penetrated the utility's internal networks, billing infrastructure, or operational technology systems responsible for water treatment and delivery.
The case remains under investigation, but importantly, the utility said there were no disruptions to water service and no evidence that hackers gained access to the operational systems that control water distribution or treatment facilities.
Federal investigators are examining whether the recent cyberattacks targeting water and wastewater systems across the United States could be connected to Iranian hackers, although authorities have stressed that no formal attribution has been made and the investigation remains ongoing.
According to CBS News, U.S. officials are probing whether the activity could be the work of Iranian hackers, while cautioning that the assessment could change as additional technical evidence is collected. Investigators are also considering whether another actor may have attempted to mimic Iranian tactics to mislead authorities.
The speculation stems in part from similarities between the latest incidents and previous campaigns that targeted American water infrastructure.
The Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa in western Pennsylvania was the target of a cyberattack on November 25, 2023, in one of the most prominent Iranian-linked attacks against U.S. critical infrastructure. This prompted warnings from federal agencies about vulnerabilities in industrial control systems used by water utilities.
The FBI and EPA didn’t attribute the broader campaign to any specific country or hacking group in their July 30 alert. Instead, federal agencies are focusing on the techniques used by the attackers and are urging utilities nationwide to secure any internet-facing control systems.
The question of Iranian involvement has also become politically charged. While some reports noted similarities to previous Iranian-linked operations, Trump dismissed suggestions that Iran was responsible for the Minnesota incidents, arguing that investigators had not yet established who was behind the attacks.
The FBI's warning indicates that water and wastewater systems in at least seven states reported incidents, meaning additional states may have been affected beyond those that have publicly disclosed attacks.
The latest incidents highlight a growing concern about ...
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