NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Cyberattacks have disrupted water systems in at least a dozen states including Georgia, Michigan and Minnesota<\/p>\n
Federal officials are investigating potential links to Iran amid increased Iranian cyber activity targeting U.S. infrastructure<\/p>\n
No evidence suggests public drinking water safety has been compromised despite service disruptions and precautionary advisories<\/p>\n
Cyberattacks targeting U.S. water systems have now been reported in several states, with federal officials investigating whether the intrusions are linked to Iran-backed hackers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The attacks have affected water and wastewater facilities in states including Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and South Dakota, according to CBS News<\/a>.<\/p>\n So far, officials say there is no evidence that any of the cyberattacks have compromised the safety of public drinking water, The New York Times<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n One of the latest incidents occurred in Clayton County, Georgia, where local officials disclosed that unauthorized cyber activity disrupted water service last month, according to CBS News. The county experienced reduced water pressure and issued a precautionary boil-water advisory before restoring service within a matter of hours.<\/p>\n “It is very unusual for us to experience a system outage without a water main break,” Erin Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Clayton County Water Authority, said in an interview with the Times. “We are still investigating what happened, but something happened.”<\/p>\n Federal officials cautioned that the investigation remains in its early stages and that they have not definitively determined whether Iran was behind the cyberattacks, according to the Times<\/a>. However, they said the incidents are consistent with a recent increase in Iranian cyber activity following the launch of the U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran five months ago.<\/p>\n Investigators also noted that Iran has previously targeted U.S. water systems and other critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> dismissed concerns that Iran was behind the water system issues during his Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, July 31.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n “I would blame it on Minnesota and the governor, the corrupt governor of Minnesota,” he said at the time. “They like to say, ‘Oh, it’s Iran.’ Iran should be so lucky. Iran’s got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota.”<\/p>\n In response, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said, “Trump knows exactly who is responsible for this attack, and knows that other states were hit too,” according to NBC News<\/a>. Walz added, “This is what modern warfare looks like.”<\/p>\n