At a recent Nassau Suffolk Water Commissioners’ Association (NSWCA) meeting, of which Massapequa Water District Commissioner Raymond Averna serves as president, Long Island water district commissioner NSWCA members received a comprehensive update on state of the art cybersecurity measures as they apply to the water supply industry and Long Island suppliers. Sponsored by Cathedral Gardens Water District, represented by commissioners Ray Rockensies, Glenn Barnett, and Joseph Corino, guest sp
eakers Jonathan Berlin of Smithtown and James Tauer of Islip, of Total Technology Solutions of Melville, explained how cyberthreats have become more rampant than ever in 2016.
“In today’s world, it’s a case of managing risk and compliance. Top threats to water districts can include social engineering and insider threats, malware, phishing and ransomeware,” said Berlin. “All of these affect cybersecurity can take a communications network down, destroy it, or paralyze it.”
Tauer cited examples of cybercrimes against water providers across the country and discussed essential steps necessary to guard against them and ensure business continuity.
“Total Technology’s Layered Defense is specifically designed to counter cybercrime,” he said. “It is comprehensive, overlapping and intentionally redundant to provide the broadest and deepest threat protection. It starts with a physical water district site surveying as well as network assessment and includes vulnerability scanning and awareness training.”
“Water districts are highly visible cyber targets because of the essential services we supply”, added Averna. “Cybersecurity awareness training is vitally important to help maintain an uninterrupted supply of the highest quality water, which is the responsibility of every one of our member districts.”
For more information contact Raymond J. Averna at 516-650-5880 or email raverna@massapequawater.com.
—Submitted by the Massapequa Water District
