NRWA Launches the Water Watch Center to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Rural Utilities

In response to growing cyber threats targeting U.S. water infrastructure, the National Rural Water Association (NRWA) and DEF CON Franklin have launched the Water Watch Center (WWC), a new initiative designed to help small water and wastewater utilities defend against cyberattacks. The announcement was made at the DEF CON cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas on August 7.

The Water Watch Center will provide direct cybersecurity support to utilities serving fewer than 10,000 people, which represent approximately 91% of the nation's community water systems. The program aims to strengthen cyber defenses, improve threat detection, and help utilities respond to security incidents before they impact operations and public health.

Five cybersecurity firms have joined the effort, including Defendify, Legato Security, L1 Secure, Rapid7, and Sentinel Technologies. These partners will collaborate by sharing threat intelligence, security updates, and best practices through a centralized network coordinated by NRWA.

The initiative builds on a two-year project led by DEF CON Franklin that connected nearly 450 volunteer cybersecurity professionals with water and wastewater systems in several states. Lessons learned from those efforts highlighted the need for a scalable cybersecurity support model tailored to small and rural utilities.

In addition to the Water Watch Center, NRWA continues to provide cybersecurity resources, training, advisories, and technical assistance through its National Rural Water Cybersecurity Center. The association is also advocating for a federal Cybersecurity Circuit Rider Program to bring on-the-ground cybersecurity expertise directly to rural utilities.

As cyberattacks against critical infrastructure become more frequent and sophisticated, the Water Watch Center offers rural water systems access to specialized expertise and coordinated support to help protect essential water and wastewater services.

Further Reading...

• Hunting Viruses in Your Water System | DEF CON Franklin
• DEF CON hackers launch Water Watch Center to defend small water utilities | SiliconANGLE
• Water Watch Center Launched to Defend Utilities Against Foreign Hacks | HSToday