By early April, Russian hackers had temporarily taken control of the computer systems at the Bremanger dam in western Norway. Beate Gangaas, head of Norway’s security police service, accused Russian operatives of orchestrating the cyberattack. They released an unbelievable 338 million gallons of water, the volume of three Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of toxic sludge in a matter of four hours.
This incident is yet another example of a deeply troubling pattern of pernicious cyber operations. Among the Russian hackers’ efforts have been probing of energy infrastructures in Western countries. Since then, observers have stressed that Russia has previously engaged in high-profile, destructive cyberattacks. Importantly, these attacks specifically targeted Ukraine’s power grid, plunging large areas into blackout in both 2015 and 2016.
In 2020, hackers attacked the Bremanger dam and released millions of gallons of water. Law enforcement and other authorities moved in swiftly to restore order. The rapid action by Norwegian security services stopped even greater destruction and loss of life from occurring. Gangaas sounded the alarm on the immediacy of such security threats, shedding light on the susceptibility of our critical infrastructure to cyberattacks.
The Russian embassy in Computer Weekly has strongly denied that the Russian government was behind the breach, calling allegation of government links to the breach absurd. This denial comes amid rising concerns over the actions of Russia-backed hackers in recent years, particularly their focus on the energy sector.
The attack on the Bremanger dam is not an isolated event. It’s another step in a broader campaign by Russian hackers against critical infrastructure. These malefactors have repeatedly attacked energy infrastructure for the purpose of shutting down operations and sowing confusion inside democratic countries in the West. The ramifications of these insidious attacks go beyond the immediate destruction; they threaten our national security and public safety.
