San Antonio Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito is calling for renewed scrutiny of cybersecurity protections at the city’s municipally owned water and electric utilities following attacks on water systems in Minnesota.
In a memo, the District 7 councilwoman requested confidential briefings from San Antonio Water System and CPS Energy no later than Sept. 30. The presentations would update the City Council about emerging threats and the efforts to protect critical infrastructure.
“It is crucial that San Antonio’s municipally-owned utilities are armed and ready to prevent attacks on our water and power sources,” Alderete Gavito wrote.
More than 30 Minnesota community water systems were targeted in a coordinated cyberattack in late July. Some utilities temporarily shifted to manual operations, but authorities reported no contamination or major interruption of drinking-water service. The FBI is investigating and has not publicly identified the attackers.
Alderete Gavito previously raised questions about oversight of SAWS and CPS Energy cybersecurity in December 2024. Council members subsequently received a briefing, but she said, rapidly changing technology makes regular updates essential.
The councilwoman requested that the new briefings occur in an executive or other confidential session because publicly disclosing security practices could expose vulnerabilities.
Alderete Gavito does not identify a specific cyberattack against either San Antonio utility or claim their existing defenses are inadequate. Instead, it seeks additional council oversight and updated information about their preparedness.
Guest:
Marina Alderete Gavito is the city council representative for District 7.
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