Water and sewer utilities across Long Island are set to receive new state grant money aimed at protecting the region's drinking water from cyberattacks. According to News 12, the funding comes at a time when cyber threats to public water systems are being taken increasingly seriously, following attacks that have already hit water systems in at least two other states.
Officials warn the danger is constant and evolving. James Nary of the Long Island Water Conference said the bad actors in the world are continuously probing and looking for new types of vulnerabilities, describing hackers as always knocking at the door. He warned they could try to do things like turn off water pumps, adding that water pressure would likely be the first place where customers might notice something wrong.
To help utilities stay ahead of those threats, Long Island communities will receive a total of almost $4 million in state grant money. The funds are meant to let water providers assess how well their current cybersecurity measures are actually working, and then implement new, tougher security measures where gaps are found, rather than waiting for an attack to expose weaknesses.
The money is being spread across the region, but not evenly. The South Huntington water district is getting the largest share, receiving more than $300,000 to bolster its cyber defenses. It was singled out as the biggest single recipient among the Long Island utilities set to benefit from this round of state grant funding.
The Suffolk County Water Authority is also on the list, receiving $50,000. A representative said the authority plans to use the money to assess the organization's ability to defend against these kinds of cyberattacks and threats, identify where there are gaps and deficiencies in its systems, and then put the proper measures in place to further protect itself and be more reliable for customers.
For now, the effort is largely preventive. The Long Island Water Conference, a non-profit that includes both public and private water companies, said it is not aware of any successful cyberattacks on Long Island's own water systems so far. The grants are intended to keep it that way, hardening local infrastructure even as similar systems elsewhere in the country come under attack.