💧 The weekend hackers came for the water

July 30, 2026

By Kim Komando

“Kim, my local water company was cyberattacked. This is frightening. What could happen if that attack wasn’t caught? How can I prepare for another one?” — Ashley in Minnesota 

Ashley, I’ve got you. First, what happened. 

From Sunday, July 26, to Monday, July 27, a coordinated attack hit more than 30 Minnesota community water systems. Plymouth, South St. Paul and Maple Plain got hit. In little Braham, the well and treatment plant computers went dark at 9:34 a.m. Monday. 

The town leaned on its water tower, and crews had everything back operational inside two hours. The state health department says nobody had to change how they used their tap water.

🚱 What if nobody had caught it?

Water plants run on SCADA systems. Translation: the remote controls for pumps and treatment chemicals. If hackers kill the pumps and nobody notices, pressure drops. Low pressure lets groundwater, and whatever’s swimming in it, seep in through cracks and leaks. That’s why a busted water main triggers a boil-water notice. 

The darker scenario? Someone fiddling with the chemical dosing, though alarms and human operators watch for exactly that.

This isn’t hypothetical. In 2023, an Iranian-linked group hijacked a Pennsylvania water station’s controls. Operators ran it by hand until cleanup. And EPA inspections found over 70% of water systems nationwide violated basic security rules. Yikes.

💧 Your 15-minute prep plan

1. Stash water today. One gallon per person, per day. Three days minimum, two weeks if you’ve got the room. Pets count as people. Filling your own jugs? Swap them every six months.
2. Sign up for your city’s emergency alerts. Search “[your city] emergency alerts.” That’s how a boil-water notice hits your phone in minutes.
3. Learn the boil drill. A rolling boil for one full minute kills the nasties. No power? Aquatabs water purification tablets ($11 on Amazon, EPA-registered, five-year shelf life). One tablet, one half-gallon, 30 minutes. Done. 

Minnesota flipped on its statewide cyber response, and everyone from town halls to Washington shut this down in hours. The state’s cyber chief said the defenses “worked as intended.” 

Your job is the backup plan, and it costs less than $20 at the grocery store. And remember, along with our water, power and hospitals are computerized, too.

Hackers keep hacking. Make sure your plan holds water.

🎯 Send this to someone who thinks their emergency kit is a flashlight and vibes.

📱 Text-worthy: Hackers hit 30+ Minnesota water systems in TWO days. One town’s treatment plant controls shut off. State cyber teams stopped the attack fast, but the EPA says over 70% of inspected water utilities flunk basic security. Kim says: Stash 1 gallon of water per person per day, starting now.