October 21, 2025

What’s at Stake When Cyber Threats Target Water Infrastructure?

57 minutes

Water systems—once considered too small or obscure to be hacked—are now squarely in the crosshairs of cyber actors. In recent months, Bluefield Research has tracked a surge of cyber activity targeting water and wastewater utilities around the world, from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) release of 32 new control system advisories to Poland’s launch of a national cybersecurity framework for water utilities.

In this episode of The Future of Water, Bluefield’s Barcelona-based Maria Cardenal and Boston-based Leigh Ramsey join host Reese Tisdale to unpack one of the most pressing—and overlooked—threats facing the water sector: cybersecurity. Our water experts explore where these threats are emerging, how utilities are responding, and what the next phase of digital resilience looks like.

Key discussion points include:

What’s really at stake when critical infrastructure is under attack

The biggest vulnerabilities in today’s water systems—from legacy hardware to weak IT–OT segmentation

Real-world examples from the U.S., Norway, and Poland that show how cyberattacks on operational assets are evolving

How governments are responding—including Poland’s US$1.1 billion cybersecurity initiative for water and wastewater systems

How smaller utilities are managing cybersecurity with limited resources

The role of new regulations—from the EU’s NIS2 Directive to state-level initiatives in the U.S.

Why cybersecurity must become part of asset management and workforce training, not an afterthought

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Related Research & Analysis:

Poland Strengthens Cybersecurity in the Water Sector

Cybersecurity Alerts Highlight Water HMI Vulnerabilities

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By Reese Tisdale

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