BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – Alabama’s largest water utility says it is actively coordinating with the federal government to make sure it’s cybersecurity is current in the face of cyberattacks on water facilities in at least seven states over the last five days.
The FBI sent a fresh warning to water utilities Thursday alerting them to the attacks on controller devices at water and wastewater facilities in at least seven states since July 26.
Multiple outlets report federal investigators suspect Iranian-backed hackers are responsible for some or all of what appear to be coordinated attacks.
“Central Alabama Water (CAW) is aware of the recent cyber incidents affecting water utilities in Minnesota,” said CAW’s Public Relations Manager John Matson. “Cybersecurity and service reliability are top priorities, and our team has already coordinated directly with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency regarding the latest threat information and recommended precautions.
As part of our ongoing proactive cybersecurity program, we continuously monitor emerging threats, evaluate our safeguards and coordinate with government and industry partners. We also utilize resources and best practices from the American Water Works Association, Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies and WaterISAC.”
CAW invited federal cybersecurity experts to Birmingham in January for the second consecutive year to conduct training exercises aimed at protecting the state’s largest water utility from cyberattacks.
Hackers are increasingly targeting water systems across the country, including successful attacks in Texas that sent water overflowing from a water tower and held some system controls hostage. Central Alabama Water says it was trying to both learn from and avoid such incidents when it invited the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to Birmingham.
“So despite the fact that we have a great team and a great security team at that, we want to make sure that we’re getting input from other resources,” said Cameron Holly, CAW’s Chief Technology Officer. “And the Department of Homeland Security implemented this resource for a reason to help, especially with critical infrastructure like ours, to help organizations to really shore up their cybersecurity, take best practices across the nation, and really work together with us to identify where we’re strong, where we’re weak, and how to shore all those things up.”
For the second year in a row, federal experts and the utility’s staff conducted a tabletop exercise to game out what potential attacks could look like and how they would react. The utility’s chief technology officer says hackers are constantly trying new tactics so there’s never time to celebrate a win — they’re focused on the next possible attack.
“So there’s a lot of things there that go beyond just, you know, what are you doing preventatively, but also reactively,” the chief technology officer said. “So one year versus the next, it’s great to see where we’ve come, but also to keep that conversation and that dialogue open.”
Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.
Copyright 2026 WBRC. All rights reserved.
