Last week the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission released new statements regarding the security of US water facilities. According to the statement, industrial controls governing water facilities and critical infrastructure are underprepared for cyberattacks. In addition, they remain a prime target for attackers who wish to harm the US critical infrastructure. Security experts claim that the potential for attack is too high to ignore due to the serious consequences it would have on US populations.

The chair of CCTI stated that the water facilities may very well be the greatest vulnerability in national infrastructure, due in part to decentralization. Since each of the systems operates in a different environment, some with different budgets or staff that is able to respond to threats. Therefore, conducting federal oversight of such a massive network of utilities with different capabilities is difficult. The CCTI gained information from panelists hailing from different government and environmental agencies.

Read More: U.S. Water Utilities Prime Cyberattack Target, Experts