October 2, 2024 — As cyber-attacks against public water agencies are on the rise, Rowland Water District (RWD) is bolstering its efforts to proactively identify and avoid cybersecurity threats by regularly educating its staff and Board members through internal training sessions.

At a recent Special Meeting of the Board of Directors held on September 27, 2024, RWD welcomed Jessica Howarth of Newport Beach based HighRoad Information Technology to conduct cybersecurity awareness training for the district’s Board of Directors. Howarth is an expert in proactive systems training for public agencies and private businesses across Southern California.

“With the alarming rise in new cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities it is imperative that all active users on a network be trained on how to identify and avoid falling victim to risks such as malware, phishing, ransomware, among other concerns,” said HighRoad Information Technology CEO Mike Parra.  “HighRoad Information Technology recognizes and applauds Rowland Water District for their commitment to frequent cybersecurity training and education of its Management, Employees and Board Members to emphasize their important role in protecting the districts critical data.”

RWD is required to prepare and revise risk resilience assessments (RRAs) for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) to ensure all electronic and computer systems are safeguarded from malicious attacks.

“Cybersecurity attacks are a real threat to our infrastructure and to our customers,” said General Manager Tom Coleman. “Residents and businesses can feel confident that the training our team at Rowland Water District has undergone recently has prepared us to identify and circumvent any potential malicious attacks on our systems.”

RWD is also investing in educating its staff and Board members through regular education and training around topics such as identifying and avoiding phishing attempts, creating strong passwords, utilizing multifactor authentication methods for accessing sensitive systems and data, and ensuring all system software is up to date to avoid external vulnerabilities.

Learn more at rwd.org