American Water Works, the largest water utility in the U.S., experienced a cyberattack that disrupted its customer portal and billing systems. The company responded by activating its incident response plan, hiring cybersecurity experts, and notifying law enforcement. Although the attack did not affect water or wastewater operations, systems were taken offline to prevent further damage, suggesting a potential ransomware incident. Experts stress the importance of integrating cybersecurity into essential services from the start to protect public health and safety in the face of growing digital threats.