Cyberattacks Target U.S. Municipal Water Systems, Including Georgia Facility
On September 6, 2023, Clayton County officials disclosed a temporary water service disruption at the Terry R. Hicks Water Production Plant in Jonesboro, Georgia, last week, suggesting it may be linked to a broader wave of suspected cyberattacks on municipal water systems nationwide.
The incident follows an FBI alert revealing that "malicious cyber actors" had compromised water utilities in at least seven states in recent days. While Minnesota and Michigan have confirmed attacks within their jurisdictions, neither Georgia nor federal authorities have verified whether the state’s water systems were directly targeted. The identity of the attackers remains unknown.
The disruptions highlight growing vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure as cyber threats increasingly target essential services. No further details on the scope or methods of the attacks have been released.
Clayton County Water Authority TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/clayton-county-water-authority
"id": "cla1785810223",
"linkid": "clayton-county-water-authority",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "8/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "7",
"explanation": "Attack that could injure or kill people"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Municipal water systems',
'location': 'Jonesboro, Georgia, USA',
'name': 'Terry R. Hicks Water Production Plant',
'type': 'Water utility'},
{'industry': 'Municipal water systems',
'location': 'Minnesota, Michigan, and other U.S. '
'states',
'type': 'Water utilities'}],
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2023-09-06',
'description': 'Clayton County officials disclosed a temporary water service '
'disruption at the Terry R. Hicks Water Production Plant in '
'Jonesboro, Georgia, suggesting it may be linked to a broader '
'wave of suspected cyberattacks on municipal water systems '
'nationwide. The incident follows an FBI alert revealing that '
"'malicious cyber actors' had compromised water utilities in "
'at least seven states in recent days.',
'impact': {'downtime': 'Temporary water service disruption',
'operational_impact': 'Water service disruption',
'systems_affected': 'Water production plant'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'lessons_learned': 'Growing vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure as '
'cyber threats increasingly target essential services.',
'references': [{'source': 'Clayton County officials'},
{'source': 'FBI alert'}],
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'FBI alert issued'},
'threat_actor': 'Malicious cyber actors',
'title': 'Cyberattacks Target U.S. Municipal Water Systems, Including Georgia '
'Facility',
'type': 'Cyberattack'}