Cybersecurity and water systems

Good morning, New Hampshire, and welcome to Friday. Today, Molly Rains reports on growing cybersecurity concerns among municipal water system operators. Also, William Skipworth examines Senate candidate Chris Pappas’ push for campaign finance reform and why others in the race are accusing him of hypocrisy. And, also from William, the Developmental Services Oversight Commission begins to take shape. Thank you for reading, and have a great weekend. — Dana

By Molly Rains

A spate of cyberattacks on water systems in at least 12 states this July brought national attention to a growing concern for water operators in New Hampshire and across the country. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services is not aware of any impacts to state systems from that particular spree of attacks, but a spokesman said the “systems are always being probed” by would-be hackers. It’s a constant and evolving threat, operators told the Bulletin, and the advent and evolution of advanced artificial intelligence is rapidly making bad actors more capable.

By William Skipworth

In his effort to convince voters to send him to the U.S. Senate, Chris Pappas, who currently represents the eastern half of New Hampshire in the U.S. House of Representatives, has begun touting an agenda to keep big money out of politics. “One of the major issues that we’re hearing about everywhere across New Hampshire is how we confront the culture of corruption in Washington, how we address the influence of big money in our political system, which is so corrosive to our democracy,” Pappas said at an event in Manchester last week. But others in the race, including Karishma Manzur and Scott Brown, argue those efforts are “too little, too late.”

By William Skipworth

New Hampshire Senate President Sharon Carson appointed Sens. David Rochefort and Suzanne Prentiss to the newly created Developmental Services Oversight Commission. They’re the first two appointees to the commission, which was established in the wake of a Bulletin investigation on rampant abuse and neglect in New Hampshire’s intellectual and developmental disability care system.