Podcast Summary: Consider This from NPR

Episode: Hackers are after your water. How this town defends against them
Date: September 8, 2025
Host: Ari Shapiro (with field reporting by Jenna McLaughlin)

Overview

This episode of Consider This explores the rising threat of cyberattacks on U.S. water systems, focusing on the small Vermont community of Cavendish. Through firsthand accounts from local water operators and cybersecurity professionals, NPR demonstrates how even rural towns are on the front line in defending critical infrastructure against sophisticated hackers—ranging from criminal gangs to nation-state actors such as China and Russia. The show highlights the challenges posed by limited resources and federal funding cuts, and the innovative grassroots efforts emerging to bolster cyber defenses on the ground.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life at the Water Treatment Plant

• Chris Hughes is the assistant operator at the Cavendish, VT wastewater plant, where tasks range from raking up rags by hand to managing technical chemical processes.
  • Quote: “Either you love it or you don’t. It’s nature of the beast.” (00:28 – Chris Hughes)
• Jenna McLaughlin of NPR tours the facility, giving a tactile sense of the low-tech daily grind and humble resources in use.

2. Rise of Cyber Threats to Water Systems

• Recent cyberattacks have shown just how vulnerable America’s water infrastructure is:
  • Chinese hackers spent almost a year inside a Massachusetts utility that supplies water and power.
  • American Water, the largest wastewater utility in the U.S., was targeted by hackers in October.
• Chris Hughes acknowledges the daunting reality:
  • Quote: “If someone got into the system, they could just turn it off and it would stop producing water. We’d be dead in the water, I guess.” (00:43 – Chris Hughes)

3. On the Front Lines— With Few Resources

• The Cavendish plant is run by only two people, highlighting how small utilities are uniquely exposed.
• Hughes admits feeling unprepared:
  • Quote: “It’s kind of scary that I’m the only door between, you know, the Iranians and our water system… I don’t really have the background to be fending off foreign entities.” (04:31 – Chris Hughes)

4. The Broader National Picture

• Attacks are not isolated:
  • Russian hackers made a Texas water system overflow (Jan).
  • Simultaneously, federal funding for cybersecurity programs is being cut.
• The EPA has issued warnings about increased risks.

5. Grassroots Response: Project Franklin

• Enter Forrest Anderson, a local operator and “tech nerd,” who now works as a cybersecurity systems specialist for Vermont Rural Water Association.
  • He travels with a ukulele case full of cybersecurity gadgets.
• Awareness of advanced threats is growing:
  • Quote: “If you aren’t familiar with Volt Typhoon, it’s going on right now. Volt Typhoon is in New England.” (05:39 – Forrest Anderson)
  • Volt Typhoon is a Chinese hacking group reportedly embedded in U.S. critical infrastructure, lying in wait for potential geopolitical conflict.

6. Community Resilience and Collaboration

• Tim Pappa, ex-FBI agent, joins the effort, underscoring the need for diverse expertise.
• The team is part of Project Franklin, a volunteer initiative to support small towns.
• Post–Hurricane Irene, local operators know they must rely on themselves:
  • Quote: “There’s no cavalry. We are the cavalry. We are.” (07:09 – Forrest Anderson)
  • Quote: “That goes back to that New England Yankee ingenuity. We’ll do it ourselves.” (07:16 – Chris Hughes)

7. Practical Defenses in Vermont

• On the ground, the team implements foundational security:
  • Covering WiFi passwords
  • Installing network monitoring tools and VPNs
  • Creating system backups
• The goal: Make Cavendish a less visible (and therefore less attractive) target.
  • Quote/Metaphor: “Right now it’s hunting season. We are the six point buck in the field… We need to get in the woods because it’s a lot harder to hit.” (08:01 – Forrest Anderson)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Chris Hughes describing the “dirty glory” of the job and new anxieties about cyber vulnerability. (00:28 – 00:43)
• Forrest Anderson on the reality of foreign cyber intrusions:
  “And the fact is, is that they’re here… If we were to lose our supply of semiconductors on top of our manufacturing, our power and our water, we would not stand a chance against any conflict.” (06:02)
• Reflections on local determination:
  “We’ll do it ourselves.” (07:16 – Chris Hughes)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:18 – Introduction; tour of Cavendish water plant with Chris Hughes
• 02:51–03:46 – Background on cyber threats to U.S. water (EPA warning, recent attacks)
• 04:31–05:19 – Hughes’ perspective: Small town, big threat; feeling outgunned
• 05:19–06:09 – Introduction of Forrest Anderson; Volt Typhoon threat
• 06:18–07:16 – Community self-reliance; Project Franklin described
• 07:31–08:09 – Implementation of security basics and hunting season metaphor

Conclusion

This episode personalizes the abstract threat of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, giving listeners an inside look at both the challenges and grassroots resilience powering small-town water utilities. The conversation underscores the everyday people—like Chris Hughes and Forrest Anderson—who not only keep the water running, but are now becoming the frontline defenders in America’s cyber conflict.