### American Water Suffers Cyberattack, Pauses Customer Billing

American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the United States, announced a significant cyberattack on Monday, leading the company to temporarily halt its billing operations. The New Jersey-based company, providing services to over 14 million people across 14 states and 18 military installations, discovered unauthorized activity in its systems on Thursday.

In response, American Water immediately implemented protective measures, including the shutdown of certain systems to safeguard its operations. The company reported that their facilities and overall operations remained unaffected by the attack, and staff are working diligently to investigate the extent of the intrusion.

The utility provider has notified law enforcement and is collaborating with them to address the situation. While the billing systems remain offline, American Water assured customers that late charges will not be incurred. American Water services over 500 water and wastewater systems in approximately 1,700 communities across states such as California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.