GREENVILLE, SC (WSPA) – Officials with Greenville Water said the water utility was the target of an international cyber-attack.

On Wednesday, Greenville Water issued a news release saying they were experiencing technical difficulties in regard to network connectivity, which included phones and computers, and asked customers to be patient at they worked to restore normal business operations.

On Friday, the water company issued the following about the cyber-attack:

“Greenville Water was the recent target of an international cyber-attack. While this attack has caused technical difficulties for staff and been a temporary inconvenience for customers, it has not and will not impact or compromise the safety and delivery of water that is treated and maintained by our facilities. This incident is being thoroughly investigated by Greenville Water and experts who have taken immediate and appropriate action to reinforce existing security measures and to mitigate the potential impact, as well as determining its origin. “We have been preparing for potential attacks for years and put specific protections in place to ensure the safety of our data and the integrity of our water. While this has caused a temporary disruption, we are fairly certain that our data has not been compromised,” said David Bereskin, Greenville Water CEO. “It has created a situation where we have lost access for a brief period of time, but we anticipate normal business operations being restored in the next two – three business days.” Knowing there has been surge in cyber-attacks against state and local governments, Greenville Water plans on sharing information about the attack with other government agencies in the area to help them gain a better understanding of how the attack occurred. The company is in contact with regulatory authorities, and as more information becomes available those updates will be shared with the public.”

According to the release, the water system currently services about 500,000 residents in the Upstate.