Cyber threats in our water supply: What utilities need to know

In this episode of Talking Under Water, Co-host Mandy Crispin speaks with Frederick Johnson, cybersecurity practice lead at Stantec. Johnson helps utilities, government agencies, and private sector clients prepare for technological challenges. The cyber-attack on Wichita, Kansas, was about a year ago, and the cybersecurity issue in Arkansas City, Kansas, was about six months ago. Considering these events, the interview sheds light on the greatest threats to cybersecurity right now, any potential changes in regulation, and how utilities can address cybersecurity.  

Show Notes:   

• Stantec blog: Cybersecurity defense in the water industry: 3 steps utilities can take now 
• Arkansas City water treatment facility faces cybersecurity incident 
• Talking Under Water Episode Preview 
• Rockwell Automation talks cybersecurity with Editor in Chief Mandy Crispin 

Timestamps:   

• Introduction | 0:00
• The greatest threat to cybersecurity in the water sector | 1:16
• Why water systems are targets for cyberthreats | 3:07
• An example of a common cybersecurity attack tactic | 4:40
• What to expect from an on-site cybersecurity risk assessment | 7:33
• What lessons can be learned from notable water system cyberattacks? | 11:06
• What percentage of utilities are prepared to address cyberattacks? | 13:07
• An overview of introduced cybersecurity bills for U.S. water systems | 14:26
• Housekeeping | 17:39

Resources: 

• WWD webinar: Liquid stream vs. solids handling: Maximizing treatment and resource recovery 
• SWS webinar: Blue Green Infrastructure – Learning from Successful Case Studies 
• WaterWorld Top Projects submissions 

About the Podcast      

Talking Under Water is the premier podcast for the water industry, including municipal water and wastewater, residential water treatment, storm water management and erosion control. It is produced in coordination between Wastewater Digest (WWD), WaterWorld and Storm Water Solutions (SWS). The podcast covers topics under the One Water movement including the municipal and industrial water and wastewater, residential, storm water and erosion control markets. Talking Under Water highlights news, trends, new technologies, industry discussions and interviews with experts across the municipal water industry. New episodes of the podcast are released every other week. Logo Images: Anatoly Tiplyashin / Romolo Tavani / stock.adobe.com.      

Contact the Talking Under Water podcast editors by emailing [email protected] engaging with them on Twitter @TUWpodcast. Join the conversation by commenting or using the hashtag #talkingunderwaterpod on social media.