City utility tightening defenses as hackers target water systems
Newport News Waterworks is taking steps to bolster its cybersecurity after a recent surge of cyberattacks targeting water and wastewater utilities across the United States, city officials announced Tuesday. The utility, which serves more than 410,000 customers on the Peninsula and typically produces about 35 million gallons of water per day, said its measures are meant to keep local tap water safe and operations resilient.
The utility draws water from the Chickahominy River and two upstream reservoirs. Federal authorities have reported cyber incidents affecting water systems in at least seven states since July 27, including an intrusion that targeted more than 30 community drinking water systems in Minnesota, according to news reports and FBI statements. Reported operational impacts elsewhere have included loss of water pressure and flooding.
What the city is saying
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones issued a statement emphasizing the city's proactive approach without detailing the specific changes being made.
“Our water system is critical infrastructure, and we are taking proactive steps to ensure our technology and systems are secure, resilient and prepared to respond to threats,” Jones said.
City and utility officials pointed to existing safeguards and to federal guidance that has grown more urgent in the wake of recent intrusions. Newport News Waterworks spokesperson Cyndi Masterstaff said the utility already follows several of the FBI’s recommended practices and described current protections.
- Secured remote access procedures to limit who can control systems from off-site
- Network segmentation to prevent an attacker from moving across the entire network
- Requirement of unique passwords rather than relying on factory default credentials
- Use of controllers that aren’t directly accessible from public-facing internet connections
The FBI has recommended additional steps for water and wastewater operators, such as disconnecting internet-exposed programmable logic controllers (PLCs), enforcing firewalls and stronger passwords, reviewing program or file changes, and retiring hardware that no longer receives updates. Officials did not say which, if any, new actions beyond existing practices would be taken locally.
Why utilities are at risk
According to federal descriptions of the incidents, attackers have remotely targeted certain models of PLCs and manipulated settings such as IP addresses and passwords to gain access without detection. That kind of access can allow unauthorised users to interfere with process controls, leading to operational disruptions.
Local officials declined to discuss the specific equipment or vendors used by Newport News Waterworks. However, the combination of high-value targets—systems that directly affect public health—and increasing reports of intrusions has pushed utilities to reassess and, in some cases, accelerate cybersecurity investments.
Local consequences and public reassurance
For Newport News customers, the immediate concern is whether the recent national wave of attacks could disrupt service or affect water quality. Officials reassured residents that the utility is taking a layered approach to security and monitoring systems closely, but they stopped short of providing a detailed action plan or timeline for any new upgrades.
City leaders said the checks and upgrades are intended to ensure the utility can respond to threats while maintaining service continuity. The utility’s public statements emphasized prevention and resilience rather than reaction, but offered few operational specifics to avoid exposing security details.
| Metric | Newport News Waterworks |
|---|---|
| Customers served | 410,000+ |
| Average daily production | ~35 million gallons |
| Primary raw sources | Chickahominy River, two upstream reservoirs |
As utilities nationally grapple with rising cybersecurity threats, local agencies must balance transparency with protecting sensitive infrastructure details. For now, Newport News officials say they will continue to monitor intelligence from federal partners and update systems where needed to protect the community’s water supply.
Customers with concerns about service reliability or suspected issues are encouraged to contact Newport News Waterworks directly for the most current information.
