Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ office announced that foreign hackers targeted equipment at two small, privately owned water utilities in late August. Each system supplies water to fewer than 200 customers, and the incidents caused no interruption to water service or public‑safety concerns.

What happened

According to spokesperson Ally Sullivan, the attackers altered equipment settings, disabling remote access and alarms and modifying pumping cycles. The changes were short‑lived; the utility operators detected the anomalies, restored normal settings, and promptly notified state officials.

“These were brief incidents and the risks were quickly addressed by the providers themselves, who subsequently alerted the state,” Sullivan said. “To our knowledge, treatment processes and water quality were not impacted at either provider.”

Broader context

The August incidents follow a wave of cyber intrusions reported in an August 21 advisory from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). That advisory warned of ongoing attempts by an Iranian‑backed group to infiltrate drinking‑water and wastewater systems across roughly a dozen states and more than 100 water entities.

Federal investigators have linked similar attacks to Iranian‑linked hacking campaigns that target programmable logic controllers – the computers that manage critical‑infrastructure machinery. Earlier FBI statements described how such intrusions can change IP addresses, set passwords, and temporarily obscure or disable equipment visibility.

State response

While the governor’s office could not confirm the specific foreign actors involved, it emphasized that Colorado’s water utilities are working closely with state and federal partners to harden their systems against future attempts. Sullivan noted that the swift response by the utilities helped keep water quality and service uninterrupted.

“We remain vigilant and are coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI to ensure our critical infrastructure stays protected,” the statement read.

What residents should know

Customers of the two affected utilities have not reported any changes in water taste, pressure, or safety. The state encourages all Colorado water providers to review cybersecurity protocols, update firmware, and maintain robust monitoring to detect any unauthorized access.

For more information on protecting local water infrastructure, residents can visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s website or contact their utility provider directly.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.