CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Following reports of a cyber security attack on its system, American Water is now investigating the scope of the incident and mitigating any further threats.

The cyber attack prompted the nation’s largest regulated water and wastewater utility company to shutdown certain systems and pause billing to customers when they became aware of the situation last Thursday. This included American Water’s “MyWater” website to be made unavailable until they looked more into the situation.

The company says they do not believe its facilities or operations were impacted by the attack, but they still wanted to remain cautious by conducting a thorough investigation.

The following is a response from West Virginia American Water regarding the issue:

“American Water recently experienced a cybersecurity incident of which it learned on Thursday, October 3, 2024. Upon learning of the issue, our team immediately activated our incident response protocols, and third-party cybersecurity experts to assist with containment, mitigation and an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident. We also contacted and are receiving assistance from law enforcement, and we are coordinating fully with them.”

“In an effort to protect our customers’ data and to prevent any further harm to our environment, we disconnected or deactivated certain systems. There will be no late charges for customers while these systems are unavailable. Our dedicated team of professionals are working around the clock to investigate the nature and scope of the incident. As we continue to contain and remediate our environment, we will share updated information as appropriate on www.amwater.com. The Company currently believes that none of its water or wastewater facilities or operations have been negatively impacted by this incident.”

The company said currently scheduled appointments will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

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