Long Island municipal water systems receive bulk of $9M in NYS grant funds for cybersecurity

Long Island municipalities will receive the majority of $9 million in state grant funding aimed at protecting wastewater and drinking water systems from cyberattacks.

Nassau County towns whose applications were accepted will take in more than $3 million from the so-called SECURE grant program. Collectively, Suffolk County municipalities will receive nearly $1 million from the grant, which stands for Strengthening Essential Cybersecurity for Utilities and Resiliency Enhancements.

The remaining roughly $5 million will be spread out around the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.

Gordon Tepper, a spokesperson for Hochul, said late Sunday in an email that "there's no specific reason that Long Island received the lion's share other than good applications."

The grants come amid increasing concerns about cyberattacks on water systems across the country, including in New York, against the backdrop of the Iran war. 

"New York is taking action to protect our critical water infrastructure from cyberattacks that could disrupt services and threaten public health and safety," Hochul said in a statement. "As we have seen with recent malicious cyberattacks on water systems across multiple states, these threats are real and escalating."

Hochul said the funds, which will be spread across 151 municipalities on Long Island and elsewhere in New York, "give local governments the tools they need to strengthen their defenses, safeguard essential services, and keep delivering safe, reliable water to New Yorkers."

In March, Newsday reported that several Long Island municipalities, in response to the war, had stepped up their focus on protecting the Island's water systems against hackers.

"We are actively encouraging heightened vigilance across the board," Benjamin Voce-Gardner, director of counterterrorism for the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, told Newsday shortly after the war began in late February.

Voce-Gardner specifically pointed to Iranian proxies, which he said have typically attempted "more low-level cyberattacks or types of disruption."

There are dozens of local water districts in the region, including the Water Authority of Great Neck North, which previously told Newsday they were prepared for any potential cyberattacks.

"When adjustments to the authority’s security posture are required," authority Superintendent Gregory Graziano said in a statement in March, "protective actions are immediately implemented."

Last year, the state offered $2.5 million in grants.

Cyberattacks have recently affected water systems in at least seven states, including Michigan and Minnesota. In an advisory last week, the FBI warned of Iranian hackers targeting water and wastewater systems.

"Malicious cyber actors (MCAs) are conducting cyberattacks targeting Operational Technology (OT) devices," the agency said in a news release. "After remotely accessing internet-facing devices, the actors changed the IP addresses and passwords, resulting in a loss of monitoring and control functionality." 

The FBI has not publicly identified a potential suspect or suspects in the cyberattacks.

The state grants will help communities fund "local cybersecurity assessments and implementation, helping water systems build stronger, more secure operations," according to a news release from Hochul's office. Governments will also receive technical assistance to help implement New York's new minimum cybersecurity standards for sewer and drinking water systems.

"The recent surge in cyberattacks targeting water systems nationwide is a stark reminder that the threats facing our critical infrastructure are growing," Michaela Lee, the state's acting chief cyber officer, said in a statement. "So must our investments in defending it."

With AP