Glenrock, WY (October 27, 2021) – The Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems (WARWS) has retained Mission Critical Global Alliance (MCGA) who will provide instructor-led training for individuals involved with the Fort Washakie water system. This program will occur from October 25th through the 27th while numerous training sessions at other water systems in Wyoming are in development.
The information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) cybersecurity and risk mitigation subject matter experts at MCGA will conduct an intense two-day training session focused on risk mitigation processes and incident response planning. The goal of the program is to help implement changes at the Fort Washakie water system that will immediately impact its mission critical operations. By the end of the program, attendees will be able to perform the following in water systems:
Identify root causes of cybersecurity risks
Visualize, identify, prioritize, and track cybersecurity risks
Create, maintain, and test cybersecurity incident response plans
The cyber-attack on the City of Oldsmar’s water treatment system on February 8, 2021, provided a stark reality that the water and wastewater infrastructure in the United States is vulnerable to “bad actors” who intend to disrupt these vital services that we count on every day.
WARWS understands the importance of addressing the threat against water and wastewater infrastructure throughout the state. By utilizing the training resources of MCGA, WARWS will provide its members with guidance and practical steps that will help water and wastewater systems throughout Wyoming better manage their cybersecurity risks.
“Cyber and Physical security is increasingly an issue in this day and age that we must train our operators to recognize issues as much as we train them for water treatment issues,” said Mark Pepper, the Executive Director of WARWS. “MCGA, we believe, provides the overall robust Cyber and Physical tie in training to meet that need and provides the awareness and training to meet cyber-IT infrastructure complexities.”
“The training being provided at the Fort Washakie water system is the best opportunity for MCGA to provide immediate and tangible results,” said Bryan Kainrath, MCGA president. “By working directly with the experts managing the critical infrastructure, we will be able to affect immediate results that will mitigate risk for the water system. We expect the results to be replicated at other Wyoming water systems,” Kainrath noted.
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Media Contacts
WARWS - Mark Pepper, (307) 259-6903, markp@warws.com
MCGA - Kevin Edwards, (703) 653-0596, media@mcgalliance.org
About WARWS
The Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems (WARWS) is a member driven, non-profit Association, affiliated with National Rural Water Association (NRWA). WARWS, NRWA and its state affiliates comprise the largest utility membership organization in the nation representing nearly 31,000 small and rural water and wastewater systems that serve over 1/3 of all Americans.
The mission of Wyoming Association of Rural Water Systems is to "provide the assistance necessary to meet the needs of our membership and to ensure the protection of Wyoming's water - our most precious resource. By providing on-site, one-on-one technical assistance and training we can help community elected officials and operators with their commitment and their profession of providing "Quality on Tap!"
About MCGA
Business leaders, government, and industry turn to Mission Critical Global Alliance (MCGA) as a trusted resource in safeguarding operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) elements of mission critical infrastructure due to our expertise in advocacy, skills standards development, education, research, workforce development, and professional certifications. MCGA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
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