NJ Water Company Pauses Billing After Cyberattack

American Water serves 2.8 million people in the Garden State, providing water to municipalities in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth Ocean, Salem, Somerset, Union and Warren counties.

"American Water learned of unauthorized activity in our computer networks and systems," the company said in a release. "This activity has since been determined to be the result of a cybersecurity incident. In an effort to protect our customers’ data and to prevent any further harm to our environment, we disconnected or deactivated certain systems.

"We proactively took MyWater offline, which means we are pausing billing until further notice. We are working diligently to bring these systems back online safely and securely.

The water company said it is coordinating with law enforcement.

"In an effort to protect our customers’ data and to prevent any further harm to our environment, we disconnected or deactivated certain systems," the company said. "We proactively took MyWater offline, which means we are pausing billing until further notice. There will be no late charges or services shut off while MyWater remains unavailable.

None of its water or wastewater facilities or operations were negatively impacted by the cyberattack, American Water said. Its water is safe to drink, American Water said.

American Water did not say whether customers personal information is at risk, only saying it is working around the clock to investigate the incident.

to follow Daily Voice Atlantic Highlands-Highlands and receive free news updates.