A ransomware attack on vendor BridgePay disrupted online bill‑pay for multiple Texas municipalities. No card data compromised, but operations disrupted. Highlights growing IT‑OT exposure of water administration systems.
Date: Feb 10, 2026 • Source: KERA News [keranews.org]
2. New: U.S. Senate warns water systems are critically vulnerable
Summary: Senate hearing reveals 170,000+ U.S. water systems face escalating nation‑state attacks (Russia, China, Iran). Small and rural utilities most at risk; many fail basic cybersecurity requirements (e.g., default password changes).
Date: Feb 4, 2026 • Source: U.S. Senate EPW Committee [epw.senate.gov]
3. New: Cyber siege on America’s water supply—fragmented defenses exposed
Summary: Federal inspection data shows 70% of inspected water utilities violated essential cyber hygiene requirements. Nation‑state groups targeting ICS/SCADA components, including attempts to manipulate chemical treatment processes.
Date: Feb 6, 2026 • Source: NewsTarget [newstarget.com]
4. New: Attack on Aliquippa Water Utility exposes OT vulnerabilities
Summary: Iranian‑linked hackers exploited default PLC passwords in Unitronics ICS hardware, forcing manual operation and highlighting widespread insecure OT configurations across U.S. water utilities.
Date: Feb 2026 • Source: Rankiteo / Tech in Asia [blog.rankiteo.com]