New York Imposes Cybersecurity Requirements on Water and Wastewater Utilities
New York finalized cybersecurity regulations for water and wastewater organizations, requiring covered utilities to implement baseline protections and prepare for disruptive cyber incidents. The rules include incident reporting, incident response and recovery planning, mandatory cybersecurity training for certified operators, and designation of a cyber lead for larger utilities. Coverage applies to community water systems serving more than 3,300 people, with additional obligations for larger organizations, as state officials cited escalating threats to the sector and the need to act despite stalled federal mandates.
The requirements also call for written vulnerability management procedures, stronger access controls such as multi-factor authentication, bans on default credentials, and segmentation of operational technology from IT and external networks; larger facilities must also conduct network monitoring and logging. To support compliance, the state launched a $2.5 million grant program and technical assistance effort, with funding available for cybersecurity evaluations and defensive upgrades. The measures were framed as a response to persistent targeting of water infrastructure, including campaigns linked to China and Iran, and as an effort to improve resilience and continuity of operations during cyberattacks.
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