AWWA Releases Cybersecurity Guidance Document
The association notes that the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Agency agree cybersecurity is the top threat facing business and critical infrastructure in the United States.
The American Water Works Association has released a free, publicly available guidance document to help water utilities reduce their vulnerability to cyber attacks. It was prepared to provide water utility managers with a concise set of best practices and standards and a repeatable process for evaluating a utility's process control system.
"Our water systems are essential to the health and safety of our communities and citizens," said AWWA Executive Director David LaFrance. "AWWA's new cybersecurity guidance and tool can help the nation's water utilities mitigate potential risks introduced by today's advanced technologies."
The association notes that the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Agency agree cybersecurity is the top threat facing business and critical infrastructure in the United States, and President Obama issued Executive Order 13636 - Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity on Feb. 12, 2013. It directed the National Institute of Standards and Technology to work with stakeholders to develop a voluntary framework for reducing cyber risks. AWWA's new guidance, Process Control System Security Guidance for the Water Sector, is a product of that effort. Supporting the guidance is the Cybersecurity Use-Case Tool, which offers an efficient approach to evaluating the security of cyber systems and networks of water utilities. Both were prepared with leadership from AWWA's Water Utility Council.
For more information, attend the "An Action Plan for Process Control System Security" webinar on Feb. 26, 2014.