Jacobs and Dragos Collaborate to Strengthen Cybersecurity at Vulnerable US Water Facilities

Jacobs and industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos are working together to help protect small and medium-sized water utilities in the United States from escalating cyber threats.

Through this collaboration, Jacobs will deploy Dragos’ industrial cybersecurity platform alongside its own consulting services to help utilities improve their defenses against increasingly sophisticated attacks. The effort is focused on supporting utilities that often lack the budget or in-house expertise to address vulnerabilities in their operational technology (OT) systems.  

The initiative leverages Dragos’ Community Defense Program, which offers no-cost software and services to water and electric utilities with annual revenues under $100 million. Jacobs brings decades of experience with more than 250 U.S. water clients and a deep bench of cybersecurity professionals familiar with the unique challenges of the water sector. 

“Cybersecurity threats to U.S. water utilities are more severe than ever,” says Amer Battikhi, executive vice president at Jacobs. “Our longstanding relationships with water utilities across the country put us in a strong position to deliver practical solutions quickly, especially to those most in need.”  

CEO and Co-Founder of Dragos Robert M. Lee echoed the urgency: “The threats facing water infrastructure are growing rapidly, but many utilities simply don’t have the resources to keep up. Our work with Jacobs is about scaling industrial cybersecurity support to where it can make the most immediate impact.”  

The collaboration comes as federal agencies raise concerns about vulnerabilities in the water sector. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) identified water infrastructure as a frequent target in its 2025 Annual Threat Assessment, warning that successful cyberattacks could have serious consequences for public health and safety. 

Historically, water utilities have been slower to adopt modern cybersecurity practices, hindered by legacy systems and tight budgets. The joint effort by Jacobs and Dragos aims to close that gap by providing utilities with access to tools for asset visibility, threat detection and incident response — tailored specifically for OT environments. 

Roger Caslow, chief information security officer at Hampton Roads Sanitation District and a Water ISAC board member, emphasized the importance of specialized support: “Cybersecurity in the water sector isn’t optional — it’s mission-critical. Collaborations like this bring much-needed expertise in real-time threat detection and regulatory compliance to utilities that are otherwise underserved.”  

Jacobs has been growing its industrial cybersecurity practice in recent years, with credentialed professionals supporting clients across the U.S. The company’s experience spans the full lifecycle of water infrastructure — from planning and design to operations and maintenance and data solutions — giving it a nuanced understanding of the operational constraints utilities face. 

Dragos, which has responded to some of the most high-profile cyber incidents in industrial environments, offers a platform that provides real-time visibility and intelligence across Operational Technology (OT), Information Technology (IT), Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems within operational environments.

Both companies view their work as aligned with broader national security priorities. By helping smaller utilities strengthen their defenses, they aim to reduce the overall risk to one of the country’s most critical infrastructure sectors.