Wastewater Visibility News
National Rural Water Association Encourages Water and Wastewater Utilities to be on Alert during this time of Geopolitical Unrest
March 9, 2026
National Rural Water Association and Wastewater Visibility News
How Utilities Should Mitigate and Report Threats During a Period of Uncertainty?
March 6, 2026 – The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) is encouraging heightened awareness and vigilance at water and wastewater utilities. The current geopolitical environment may lead to increased Iranian cyber activity or associated physical security threats to the Water and Wastewater Sector.
What is the threat?
Last week, U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated military strikes against Iran, targeting key sites including military installations, nuclear sites, and high-ranking officials. Military strikes against Iran will likely continue in the coming weeks. As a result, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that Iranian-affiliated cyber threat actors may target information and operational technology networks and devices of U.S. infrastructure, including water and wastewater utilities.
Historically, amid geopolitical escalation/tension, Iran-aligned threat actors and others have conducted cyberattacks against U.S. critical infrastructure, including the Water and Wastewater Sector. These actors may launch disruptive cyberattacks targeting unsecured networks and devices, exploiting unpatched or outdated software, using default or common passwords, and conducting brute-force attacks. Iranian-affiliated cyber actors may exploit these vulnerabilities to disrupt physical operations or conduct ransomware attacks against water and wastewater utilities.
Additionally, while the threat of targeted physical attacks in the U.S. is low, current geopolitical tension could also inspire domestic extremists to conduct acts of violence.
How can systems reduce risk?
NRWA is encouraging water and wastewater owners and operators to take actions to improve their security posture and mitigate cyber threats. Drinking water and wastewater systems are encouraged to implement the following measures: Replace all default passwords with strong, unique passwords. Reduce exposure to the public-facing Internet. Implement multifactor authentication utilizing at least two independent credential types (Prioritize remote access to networks and devices.) Perform software updates to enhance performance, fix bugs, and close security vulnerabilities. When updating software, always visit the vendor’s site directly rather than clicking on advertisements or email links. Limit access and credentials by enforcing the principle of least privilege, ensuring users only have necessary permissions. This includes revoking access to staff and contractors when access is no longer necessary. Be on the lookout for phishing and social engineering threats that focus on deceiving individuals to gain confidential information. These tactics may use fake emails, websites, or texts to steal data or install malware. Also, be aware of suspicious physical activity. This can be an incident, event, behavior, or activity that seems unusual or out of place. Terrorists and criminals often conduct specific activities as they plan a bombing attack. These activities can include, but are not limited to, eliciting information, testing or probing of security, and observation/surveillance.
How to report Potential Threats:
Report suspicious activity and threats of violence, including online threats, to local law enforcement, or FBI Field Offices. Suspicious activity reporting is also available via the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and CISA’s Incident Reporting System. Call 911 in case of an emergency.
For More Information/Resources:
The following organizations may provide more information on current threats and potential mitigation strategies.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin, indicating pro-Iranian hacktivists and Iranian government-affiliated actors may conduct attacks against U.S. networks.
- The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency published a fact sheet warning that Iranian-affiliated cyber actors may target U.S. devices and networks for near-term cyber operations.
- DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) offers cybersecurity best practices for securing US networks.
- The National Terrorism Advisory System provides Americans with alert information on homeland security threats. CISA, EPA, and FBI have jointly published the Top Cyber Actions for Securing Water Systems fact sheet to reduce cyber risk and improve resilience against malicious cyber activity.
- The Water ISAC (Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center) shares information about threats, vulnerabilities, and events/incidents to help protect U.S. water and wastewater infrastructure.
National Rural Water Association
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