Washington.- Two Democratic senators introduced a new cybersecurity bill this Monday called the ‘Water Cyber Protection Act’ to protect water infrastructure from potential attacks, following the one that occurred in Minnesota last month.
The legislation proposed by Senators Adam Schiff and Amy Klobuchar would increase the drinking water and clean water state revolving funds to $300 million annually for cybersecurity improvements.
Additionally, it would allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct cybersecurity assessments and require corrective measures when necessary.
“The recent cyberattacks against Minnesota have highlighted the urgent need to improve the security of our water systems and critical infrastructure,” Klobuchar stated.
“All Americans depend on safe and reliable drinking water, but recent events have highlighted the vulnerability of our water systems to cyberattacks from foreign adversaries and criminal entities. These threats are not hypothetical: they are happening right now,” stated Schiff.
The cyberattack in Minnesota
The coordinated cyberattack in Minnesota targeted more than 30 municipal water systems and wastewater operational technologies.
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Various theories were considered regarding the authorship of the sabotage, including the Iranian hypothesis.
However, neither the FBI nor state authorities have attributed the attack to any country or criminal group, so the matter remains under investigation.
