A joint initiative — decades of trust, cutting-edge cyber capability.

Cyber defense for the water systems no one else is defending.

The Water Watch Center is a joint initiative of DEF CON Franklin and the National Rural Water Association, launched on August 7, 2026 at the DEF CON hacker conference in Las Vegas. It delivers real cybersecurity capability — continuous monitoring, threat intelligence, and expert response — to the small and rural drinking water and wastewater systems that have never been able to afford it.

Nine out of ten community water systems in this country serve fewer than 10,000 people. Almost none of them have a security team. The Water Watch Center exists to close that gap.