Page 3 - aruba-today-20240103

A3
up front Wednesday 3 January 2024

Americans sour on the primary election process and major political parties

Continued from Front tion, opposed the EPA rule
and now are backing bills
The danger, officials say, is in Congress to address the
hackers gaining control of issue in different ways.
automated equipment to One bill would roll out a
shut down pumps that sup- tiered approach to regula-
ply drinking water or con- tion: more requirements for
taminate drinking water by bigger or more complex
reprogramming automat- water utilities.
ed chemical treatments. The other is an amend-
Besides Iran, other poten- ment to Farm Bill legislation
tially hostile geopolitical to send federal employees
rivals, including China, are called “circuit riders” into
viewed by U.S. officials as a the field to help smaller and
threat. rural water systems detect
A number of states have cybersecurity weaknesses
sought to step up scrutiny, and address them.
although water authority If Congress does nothing,
advocates say the money 6-year-old Safe Drinking
and the expertise are what Water Act standards will
is really lacking for a sector still be in place — a largely
of more than 50,000 water voluntary regime that both
utilities, most of which are the EPA and cybersecu-
local authorities that, like rity analysts say has yielded
Aliquippa’s, serve corners minimal progress.
of the country where resi- Meanwhile, states are in
dents are of modest means This photo provided by the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa shows the screen of a Unitronics the midst of applying for
and cybersecurity profes- device that was hacked in Aliquippa, Pa., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. grants from a $1 billion
sionals are scarce. Associated Press federal cybersecurity pro-
Besides, utilities say, it’s dif- missioned state security tion is designed to foist bur- bate on a 2022 bill. gram, money from the 2021
ficult to invest in cybersecu- agencies to develop out- densome costs onto public Pennsylvania state Rep. federal infrastructure law.
rity when upkeep of pipes reach and funding plans authorities and encourage Rob Matzie, a Democrat But water utilities will have
and other water infrastruc- to improve cybersecurity in their boards and ratepay- whose district includes the to compete for the money
ture is already underfund- the agriculture and water ers to sell out to private Aliquippa water authority, with other utilities, hospitals,
ed, and some cybersecu- sectors. companies that can per- is working on legislation to police departments, courts,
rity measures have been Legislation died in several suade state utility commis- create a funding stream to schools, local governments
pushed by private water states, including Pennsylva- sions to raise rates to cover help water and electric util- and others.
companies, sparking push- nia and Maryland, where the costs. ities pay for cybersecurity Robert M. Lee, CEO of Dra-
back from public authori- public water authorities “This is a privatization bill,” upgrades after he looked gos Inc., which specializes
ties that it is being used as a fought bills backed by pri- Justin Fiore of the Maryland for an existing funding in cybersecurity for industri-
back door to privatization. vate water companies to Municipal League told source and found none. al-control systems, said the
Efforts took on new urgen- force them to upgrade var- Maryland lawmakers dur- “The Aliquippa water and Aliquippa water authority’s
cy in 2021 when the federal ious aspects of their infra- ing a hearing last spring. sewer authority? They don’t story — that it had no cy-
government’s leading cy- structure, including pipes “They’re seeking to take have the money,” Matzie bersecurity help — is com-
bersecurity agency report- and cybersecurity meas- public water companies, said in an interview. mon.
ed five attacks on water ures. privatize them by expand- In March, the U.S. Environ- “That story is tens of thou-
authorities over two years, Private water companies ing the burden, cutting out mental Protection Agency sands of utilities across the
four of them ransomware say the bills would force public funding.” proposed a new rule to country,” Lee said.
and a fifth by a former em- their public counterparts to For many authorities, the require states to audit the Because of that, Dragos
ployee. abide by the stricter regula- demands of cybersecurity cybersecurity of water sys- has begun offering free ac-
At the Aliquippa authority, tory standards that private tend to fade into the back- tems. cess to its online support
Iranian hackers shut down companies face from util- ground of more pressing It was short-lived. and software that helps
a remotely controlled de- ity commissions and, as a needs for residents wary Three states — Arkansas, detect vulnerabilities and
vice that monitors and result, boost public confi- of rate increases: aging Missouri and Iowa — sued, threats for water and elec-
regulates water pressure dence in the safety of tap pipes and increasing costs accusing the agency of tric utilities that draw under
at a pumping station. Cus- water. to comply with clean water overstepping its author- $100 million in revenue.
tomers weren’t affected “It’s protecting the nation’s regulations. ity and a federal appeals After Russia attacked
because crews alerted by tap water,” said Jennifer One critic, Pennsylvania court promptly suspended Ukraine in 2022, Dragos
an alarm quickly switched Kocher, a spokesperson for state Sen. Katie Muth, a the rule. The EPA withdrew tested the idea by rolling
to manual operation — but the National Association of Democrat from subur- the rule in October, al- out software, hardware
not every water authority Water Companies. “It is the ban Philadelphia’s Mont- though a deputy national and installation at a cost of
has a built-in manual back- most economical choice gomery County, criticized security adviser, Anne Neu- a couple million bucks for
up system. for most families, but it also a GOP-penned bill for lack- berger, told The Associated 30 utilities.
With inaction in Congress, has a lack of confidence ing funding. Press that it could have “It was amazing, the feed-
a handful of states passed from a lot of people who “People are drinking wa- “identified vulnerabilities back,” Lee said. “You won-
legislation to step up scru- think they can drink it and ter that is below standards, that were targeted in re- der, ‘Hey I think I can move
tiny of cybersecurity, in- every time there’s one of but selling out to corpora- cent weeks.” the needle in this way’ ...
cluding New Jersey and these issues it undercuts the tions who are going to raise Two groups that represent and those 30 were like,
Tennessee. Before 2021, confidence in water and it rates on families across our public water authorities, ‘Holy crap, no one’s ever
Indiana and Missouri had undercuts people’s willing- state who cannot afford it the American Water Works paid attention to us. No
passed similar laws. ness and trust in drinking it.” is not a solution,” Muth told Association and the Na- one’s ever tried to get us
A 2021 California law com- Opponents said the legisla- colleagues during floor de- tional Rural Water Associa- help.’”q