Shafaqna English– The civilian cyber defense arm of the U.S. government warned on Thursday(30 Jul 2026) that hackers have been increasingly targeting the control and maintenance systems of water and wastewater facilities. In response, the agency urged operators to take immediate action by disconnecting these systems from the internet to prevent potential exploitation.
The advisory came just 48 hours after Minnesota’s IT department disclosed that over 30 community water systems within the state had been compromised during a well-organized cyber offensive that took place on July 26 and 27.
The FBI later confirmed on Thursday evening that utility providers in at least seven states had reported cyber incidents to federal authorities. According to the bureau, a portion of these incidents had actually caused operational degradation, affecting the delivery and treatment of water services.