Defending our Water Infrastructure: Creating a Cybersecurity Culture in Small Community Water and Wastewater Systems – Free Webinar 1/24/23

Join ELI and LGEAN on January 24 for this free webinar, which convenes the three major federal agencies that play a role in addressing cybersecurity in the water and wastewater sector. Panelists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will discuss cybersecurity threats to the sector, provide advice on preventing and responding to cyberattacks, and share tips and resources for small community water systems to create a robust cybersecurity culture.

REGISTER BY 1/23:
Webinar Registration – Zoom [https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4Ft0UiQaSuOe97-yhnattg]

About the Webinar:

Cyberattacks on our public drinking water systems are occurring with greater frequency. Recent examples include a hacker altering chemical levels at a Florida water system in 2021 and the SolarWinds network breach in 2020, which gave cybercriminals access to 73 water systems. In 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated water and wastewater utilities to be at risk of at least one cyberattack per year on both Business Enterprise and Process Control Systems. Malevolent actors encompass terrorists, hackers, and even disgruntled former employees who put public health at risk from loss of service and unsafe drinking water.

America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (AWIA) recognizes these and similar risks by requiring every water system serving more than 3,300 people to prepare and regularly update a Risk and Resilience Assessment (RRA) and Emergency Response Plan (ERP). Small community water systems face great challenges in preparing and implementing cybersecurity strategies due to limited resources, technical knowledge, and funding.

Panelists:

• Cynthia R. Harris, Deputy Director, Center for State, Tribal, and Local Environmental Programs, Environmental Law Institute (Moderator)
• Brandon M. Carter, Sr. Cybersecurity Specialist, Water Infrastructure and Cyber Resilience Division (WICRD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Benjamin Gilbert, Cybersecurity Advisor, CISA Region 3, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
• Vijal Pancholi, Cybersecurity Specialist, Water Infrastructure and Cyber Resilience Division (WICRD), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Aaron Steps, Supervisory Special Agent, Cyber Division, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation