EPA: New water cybersecurity rule pause hinders efforts

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has expressed disappointment over a ruling by a federal appellate court suspending its guidance recommending the inclusion of cybersecurity evaluations in public water system audits, saying that the decision undermines the agency's efforts to combat cybersecurity threats, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. Such a decision was made amid ongoing lawsuits by the state Attorneys General of Arkansas, Iowa, and Missouri, which alleged the excessive costs that could be brought upon by the cybersecurity enhancements, but the EPA stressed the rule's importance in its mission to protect the public from real cybersecurity threats against the water sector. "EPA is dedicated to addressing the challenge of cybersecurity and using all available tools to lower risk for the nation's drinking water systems. We are also committed to working with our partners as we have for over 20 years to increase the water sectors resilience," said the EPA.