NCCoE Launches Public Consultation for Securing Water & Wastewater Utilities
The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) has launched a public consultation for its new project, 'Securing Water and Wastewater Utilities: Cybersecurity for the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector'. The initiative aims to enhance the cybersecurity of water and wastewater utilities, with a focus on mitigating and managing common risks.
The NCCoE is inviting feedback from all stakeholders in the water and wastewater utilities sector, particularly those of varying sizes. The public comment period is open until December 19, 2022. The project will address key cybersecurity risks such as asset management, data integrity, remote access, and network segmentation. It will demonstrate the use of existing, commercially available products to mitigate these risks.
The project aims to develop best-practices and guidance for securing water and wastewater systems utilities. The results will be published as a freely available NIST Cybersecurity Practice Guide. In a related development, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is also seeking voluntary public opinion on a similar project, 'Secure Water and Wastewater Facilities: Cyber Protection for the Water and Wastewater Systems Sector', with the comment period open until the same date.
The NCCoE's project seeks to strengthen the cybersecurity of water and wastewater utilities, with the goal of protecting these critical infrastructure systems. The public's input is crucial in shaping this initiative. Meanwhile, the BSI's project in Germany also underscores the global importance of securing water and wastewater facilities from cyber threats.
