California Water Service (Cal Water) has responded following the claims that Handala (a cyber threat group linked to Iran) has compromised the organization and gained the ability to disturb water supply flow. 

In a statement to Security magazine, a Cal Water spokesperson provided the following update: 

“We are continuing to investigate the cybersecurity incident allegations made on June 11, 2026. We take cybersecurity and this claim very seriously and are working around the clock to investigate. Upon becoming aware of the claim last Thursday, we immediately activated our cybersecurity response plan and launched a robust investigation. We have been working in close collaboration with our state and federal government partners, as well as independent leading external experts. Our investigation remains ongoing, but our preliminary findings indicate that there are no known operational disruptions to our water and wastewater systems, including the billing platform.”

Cybersecurity experts called Handala’s claims into question, noting the group’s tendency to overstate its actions and abilities. Nevertheless, the Cal Water investigation remains ongoing, so at this time, there are few details that are known for certain. 

The Cal Water spokesperson stated, “As a critical infrastructure company, Cal Water maintains a number of cybersecurity, water system security, and water quality assurance measures to help protect our network and systems from malicious actors. We take cybersecurity and the security of our data and systems very seriously, and we will continue to thoroughly investigate this matter and closely collaborate with our federal and state government partners.”