Iran probed in cyberattacks on U.S. water systems in 7 states

2 min readUpdated August 2, 2026

Federal agencies moved to alert water utilities across the country after hackers struck municipal water systems in at least seven states, with investigators looking into whether Iran orchestrated the campaign, CBS News reported.

According to NBC News, a joint advisory from the FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency described intrusions in which attackers gained remote access to internet-connected equipment, altered network addresses and login credentials, and left some utilities unable to monitor or operate their systems. The FBI did not identify the affected states by name.

Michigan joined Minnesota in publicly confirming targeted attacks. Dale George, director of communications at Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, told CBS News that the state received reports of activity consistent with what federal agencies described, and that all systems continued to operate without public health impacts. More than 30 community water systems across Minnesota were affected, CBS News reported.

No formal attribution has been made, but The New York Times reported that state officials familiar with the investigation said the lack of any ransom demand, combined with the methods employed, had pushed analysts toward a tentative finding that Iran was behind the intrusions. Investigators have not ruled out the scenario in which a separate actor deliberately mimicked Iranian methods to inflame hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at Camp David, rejected the Iran assessment and instead blamed Minnesota and its governor, Democrat Tim Walz. "I think Minnesota is behind it," Trump said, according to The New York Times. "I don't think there was an Iranian cyberattack."

No water supplies have been reported as unsafe to drink. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency urged utilities to remove programmable logic controllers from direct internet exposure and implement stronger access controls, according to NBC News. The current incidents echo a 2023 episode in which actors tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps broke into water and wastewater facilities by taking advantage of internet-exposed controllers that were still running factory-set passwords, an intrusion pattern federal agencies have previously confirmed.

Update, August 2, 2026: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has urged water utilities to strengthen defenses amid the attacks, has lost roughly a third of its workforce since President Trump returned to office. (per The New York Times)

Cyberattacks hit water systems in at least 7 states as Iran investigation continues

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