The Headgate Rock Dam holds back about 7,000 acre-feet of water from the lower Colorado River in Lake Moovalya — an oasis in a hot and dusty corner of southwest Arizona.
Not only does the dam provide electricity and irrigation for the surrounding Colorado River Indian Reservation Farms, but it protects downstream communities from the uncontrolled release of water.
The dam is one of hundreds of critical infrastructure facilities in far-flung locations throughout the U.S. with an urgent need for robust cybersecurity. Modern infrastructures — including dams and reservoirs — rely on connected sensors, wireless enabled values and meters, and floodgates that are networked to computer systems.