A Fox News opinion piece warns that America's water and wastewater systems have become prime targets for nation-state hackers and cybercriminals, arguing the threat is no longer hypothetical after a series of real intrusions. The author, a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, contends these systems are as critical to national security as the power grid, yet remain poorly defended due to ageing infrastructure and outdated assumptions about cybersecurity, meaning stronger innovation and coordinated defence are urgently needed rather than mere regulatory compliance.

The piece cites a January 2024 attack on the water system in Muleshoe, Texas, in which hackers manipulated industrial controls and spilled thousands of gallons of water into the streets, alongside a more recent Iran-linked breach claim against California Water Service, though no treatment or distribution systems were found compromised. It notes the US has over 50,000 community water systems, many run by small, under-resourced teams reliant on old control systems and third-party vendors, serving more than 324 million Americans, and argues that traditional defences like "air-gapping" networks are no longer sufficient against determined state-backed adversaries from Iran, China and Russia.