The nation’s largest regulated water and wastewater utility company announced Monday that it was the victim of a cyberattack that prompted it to suspend billing to customers.
American Water, which is based in New Jersey and serves more than 14 million people in 14 states and 18 military installations, acknowledged the fraud on Thursday and took protective measures, including shutting down certain systems. It was announced that measures would be taken immediately.
The company said it does not believe its facilities or operations were affected by the attack and that staff were working “around the clock” to investigate the nature and scope of the attack.
The company said it has notified law enforcement and is cooperating. It also said customers will not be charged late fees while its systems are unavailable.
Early this year, in June Cyber ​​attack on CDK GlobalThe company, which provides sales management software, disrupted the operations of 15,000 car dealerships, forcing some to close and suspend operations. In February, Attacks against Change HealthcareThe company, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth, said its hospitals and pharmacies went unpaid for more than a week, leaving patients unable to get their prescriptions filled.
According to its website, American Water operates more than 500 water and wastewater systems in approximately 1,700 communities in California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. is managed.
