Over the past week, a growing number of municipalities across the United States have reported that their water systems were hacked. The Times has found that the attacks were most likely perpetrated by Iran. Today, Dustin Volz, a cybersecurity and intelligence correspondent for The New York Times, explains how the hacking exposes yearslong failed efforts to shore up vulnerabilities in U.S. infrastructure, and how Iran may be seeking a new kind of leverage that could extend the war’s reach to within U.S. borders and affect something as elemental as the water we drink.

Related:

• CBS News: America’s water systems are getting hacked amid security gaps: “No one guarding these systems”
• CNN: Why US water systems are vulnerable to foreign cyberattacks
• Newsweek: US water systems could face ‘catastrophic’ cyberattacks: What could happen
• The Independent: America’s water systems are ‘super vulnerable’ to attacks, cybersecurity experts say
• Cyberscoop: Despite federal warnings, thousands of U.S. industrial controllers used in water systems remain exposed online
• Axios: Blog: Cyberattacks expose deeper vulnerabilities in U.S. water systems