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The attack on the water treatment facility of Oldsmar, Florida has become a common reference point for lawmakers and experts discussing cybersecurity priorities, with most citing the fundamental necessity of drinking water and the confidence that would be lost if the supply were successfully compromised. In an event focused on securing the industrial control systems of critical infrastructure, Samantha Ravich of the Center for Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, identified water utilities as the critical infrastructure sector that worried her the most. “A lot of attention goes to the energy sector and that is right, that is important, but frankly, in some respects, especially just as an average citizen, you can live without the lights on for a bit but, but try to live without water for even a few days,” Ravich remarked.

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