In this episode of Up to Speed from NHJournal, host Michael Graham chats with Alyssa Rosenzweig of the Overwatch Foundation about the growing threats of cybercrime and cybersecurity in New Hampshire.

 

From drinking water systems to school networks, New Hampshire’s digital infrastructure is increasingly under attack from cyber criminals — and in some cases, foreign adversaries. That growing threat is the focus of the Overwatch Foundation.

Rosenzweig said cyber threats against critical infrastructure are no longer theoretical — and New Hampshire is not immune.

“Cyber is now at the intersection of everyday work and community safety,” Rosenzweig said. “We rely on technology to run essential services, but security often lags behind that innovation.”

Among the most vulnerable sectors: drinking water, wastewater systems, schools, and municipal governments. Modern water treatment plants rely on internet-connected monitoring systems that allow staff to adjust chemical levels and respond to alerts remotely. That same convenience creates potential exposure.

“If it’s connected to the internet and not properly secured, someone overseas can cause serious disruptions,” Rosenzweig said. “Water is the only critical infrastructure you actually consume. That changes the risk profile significantly.”

While New Hampshire has not yet suffered a catastrophic infrastructure cyberattack, Rosenzweig said the state has already lost an estimated $27 million to cybercrime through ransom payments, business disruptions, and productivity losses.

“Schools get shut down. Town offices go dark. People are still getting paid, but public services stop,” she said. “That cost eventually hits the taxpayers.”

Ransomware remains one of the most common attack methods, despite improvements in defensive technologies. Criminals typically lock down entire networks, demanding payment in exchange for restoring access — though Rosenzweig noted many attackers now lack even the technical skill to unlock systems after payment.

And while the focus is on artificial intelligence and ever-increasing tech complexity, it’s human error that remains the biggest vulnerability.

“Phishing emails, fake invoices, gift card scams — that’s how attackers still get in,” she said. “As AI improves, those scams sound more convincing and more personal.”

Rosenzweig said law enforcement has limited ability to recover funds once they are sent overseas, and elderly residents remain especially vulnerable targets.

The Overwatch Foundation operates as a nonprofit cybersecurity organization that deploys state and federal grant funding directly into New Hampshire communities. Its mission is to raise baseline cybersecurity protections across high-risk sectors.

Current grants focus on:

  • Drinking water and wastewater facilities

  • Schools

  • Municipal governments

  • “.gov in a Box” secure email systems for towns

Rather than issuing reimbursements, the foundation provides turnkey “cybersecurity in a box” solutions that include firewalls, network equipment, secure devices, and sector-specific training.

“We meet communities where they are,” Rosenzweig said. “If they only need help with one piece of the security puzzle, we’ll fund that. If they need full coverage, we do that too.”

Each grant runs for three years, allowing towns to plan long-term funding and include cybersecurity in future budgets through local warrant articles.

Overwatch also partners with cybersecurity education groups to provide customized in-person training tailored to specific municipal and school job roles.

“The training isn’t generic password reset stuff,” Rosenzweig said. “It’s based on what software a town clerk actually uses, or what systems a school relies on every day.”

She said nearly half of the state’s communities have now received some form of cybersecurity training through the foundation’s efforts.

Rosenzweig warned that hostile foreign actors are actively probing American systems — often without launching overt attacks — to test whether access still exists.

“They collect data. They check whether the keys still work,” she said. “They may not act now, but the access is there.”

While she stressed that New Hampshire is not uniquely vulnerable compared to other states, Rosenzweig said criminals follow patterns and return to places where they have already succeeded.

“Once a community has been compromised, it stays on their radar,” she said.

Despite the growing threats, Rosenzweig emphasized that basic security measures dramatically reduce risk.

“Criminals are lazy,” she said. “Once you add even a few strong security layers, they usually move on to easier targets.”

For New Hampshire communities, she said the goal is not perfect cybersecurity — but survivable cybersecurity.

“The threat is real,” Rosenzweig said. “It’s not abstract. It’s not hypothetical. And it’s already costing Granite State towns and taxpayers millions.”