**American Water Hit by Cyberattack, Halts Customer Billing**

American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States, revealed that it fell victim to a cyberattack, leading the company to temporarily suspend billing operations for its customers. The New Jersey-based company, which provides services to more than 14 million people across 14 states and on 18 military installations, discovered the unauthorized activity last Thursday.

Upon identifying the cyber intrusion, American Water promptly implemented protective measures, including the shutdown of specific systems to safeguard further. Although some systems have been affected, the utility giant assures that its facilities and overall operations have remained uncompromised. The company has engaged its staff to work tirelessly to determine the details and ramifications of the security breach.

The company has informed law enforcement authorities about the incident and is actively cooperating with ongoing investigations. To mitigate the impact on customers, American Water has announced that it will not impose late charges during the period its systems are offline.

Operating over 500 water and wastewater systems in approximately 1,700 communities, American Water's services span across California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.