Officials monitor Massachusetts water supply amid cyberattack concerns

Hackers have targeted water systems in several U.S. states and authorities said they are closely monitoring the water supply in Massachusetts.

At this time, there is no indication that the Commonwealth has been hacked, but officials at the state level said they are prepared.

Water systems in 12 states, including Michigan and Minnesota, were targeted in what federal authorities called a coordinated attack aimed at exposing security vulnerabilities.

It’s suspected that Iran might be behind the attacks, or another country mimicking Iranian hackers.

Cybersecurity experts said this is a matter of national security and that U.S. officials need to free up funding to state and local water authorities.

“Right now, water treatment plants are run by pretty much municipalities — small towns with limited budgets, and they don’t have the type of cyber program that you would need for water treatment,” said Kevin Powers, a professor at Boston College Law School. “So this is really a federal issue, a national security issue, and right now, the money is not trickling down to the states so they can harden security.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is urging utilities to disconnect their operations from the internet and operate water treatment manually to protect themselves.

At this point, officials from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority reported that they have not seen vulnerabilities in the state’s water system.