Clayton County Water Authority: Cyber disruption hits water system

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - Federal investigators have joined the hunt for the person or group responsible for a cyber incident in Clayton County’s drinking water system.

Water service disruption

What we know:

The cyber threat triggered operational disruptions and water pressure drops across parts of north Clayton County on last Monday. The Clayton County Water Authority restored service within hours and later cancelled a precautionary boil water advisory after water-quality testing proved the supply met safety standards. 

Federal and state agencies, including the FBI and CISA, are helping utility officials secure internal networks. Officials confirmed that hackers did not access or compromise customer billing and payment details during the incident. 

Cyber incident response

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet identified the specific individuals or groups responsible for the unauthorized system activity. The utility has withheld technical details about how the breach occurred to avoid compromising ongoing law enforcement inquiries or system security. 

It is not yet clear if this is part of an ongoing cyberattack on U.S. infrastructure that reportedly began last week. More than four dozen water systems in Minnesota and Michigan were reportedly impacted, but that number could rise.

FBI involved

What they're saying:

FBI Atlanta sent the following statement to FOX 5 Atlanta:

"The FBI is aware of recent public reporting around Water and Wastewater (WWS) sectors. The FBI and our interagency partners are fully engaged to protect critical infrastructure and we remain well-equipped to protect against cyber threats of all varieties."

Operational safeguards

What's next:

Technicians continue to monitor utility systems while implementing additional safety measures to guard against future network threats.