GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Environmental Protection Agency has an alarming warning for local water departments: cybercriminals might be coming.
The EPA said hackers have ramped up attacks on local water systems. Several Triad cities said they've fortified their defenses, ones they've already had in place for years against these cyberattacks.
WFMY News 2's Nixon Norman spoke with folks in both Winston-Salem and Burlington about protecting the local water supply, while they couldn't go into major detail on how they do it, they did explain why it's so important to protect the water supply, specifically from cyberattacks.
Protecting the nation's drinking water is a cornerstone of the EPA's mission, according to the agency. It's also the mission of local water departments in Winston-Salem and Burlington.
"We are tasked with something that's really important… water is life," Public Information Officer of Winston-Salem Forsyth County Utilities, Gale Ketteler said.
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Ketteler said that they have put safeguards in place, as well as other utility companies across the country, against these kinds of attacks for years. She said these attacks aren't common in the city but thinking about these attacks isn't common either.
"People take it for granted, they turn on the facet, they flush the toilet. You know, once you start working in this business and once someone brings it to your attention, you can't take that for granted anymore," Ketteler said.
City of Burlington's Water Resource Director, Bob Patterson said these attacks aren't always directed towards the water supply but cities as a whole.
The City of Greensboro identifies and blocks thousands of cyber attacks a month. Patterson says Burlington has also dealt with these attacks at a city level but that it hasn't happened to the water supply. He explained what an attack on the water supply could look like, "they may manipulate controls to turn off chemicals, shut down pumps, speed up pumps, just disrupt the production of water or treatment of waste water."
Due to the increased risk of cyberattacks on local water supplies across the nation. The EPA is looking to make sure local water departments are doing their part. The agency will increase the number of planned inspections and will enforce civil and criminal consequences for those not following guidelines.