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Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Times
Russian hackers ‘opened taps on Norwegian dam'
The head of Norway's main security agency has said Russian hackers seized control of a dam for four hours in April. The cyberattack on the facility in Bremanger, 100 miles north of Bergen on the western coast, involved fully opening the flow valves, releasing nearly 500 litres of water a second. It is the first time the Norwegian authorities have publicly identified Russia as the culprit. Beate Gangas, director of the PST, Norway's security service, said the Bremanger incident was part of a new wave of attacks from 'pro-Russian cyber actors'. • NHS hospitals 'easy targets' for Russian hackers 'The aim of this type of operation is to influence and to cause fear and chaos among the general population,' she said in a speech. 'Our Russian neighbour has become more dangerous.' At the time of the hack, independent analysts said the damage had been minor and the real significance of the incident was symbolic. Hydroelectric dams produce more than 90 per cent of Norway's power and there is concern about the potential for sabotage. In this case, however, the dam on Lake Risevatnet is thought to primarily control the supply of freshwater to a nearby fish farm. The watercourse it supplies can handle significantly higher flow volumes than those unleashed by the hackers, and the fault was detected relatively quickly and remedied. • Civilisation depends on undersea cables. What happens if they break? Nor does the cyberattack appear to have been sophisticated: Breivika Eiendom, the dam's owner, indicated that the hackers had probably seized on a weak password. Yet the incident has driven home the vast scope for electronic sabotage of Europe's physical infrastructure, amid warnings that the Russian military intelligence service and its network of hackers have begun aggressively targeting private sector companies involved in supporting Ukraine. In February the PST's annual national security report said hackers working on behalf of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea posed a 'significant' and 'unpredictable' threat to Norway. It also noted an 'increased likelihood that Russian intelligence services will try to carry out sabotage operations in Norway'. Norwegian officials suspect that Russia orchestrated the sabotage of an underwater fibre-optic data cable linking the Svalbard archipelago to mainland Norway in January 2022, weeks before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the Russian embassy in Oslo dismissed the claim that Russia was behind the attack on the dam as 'unfounded and politically motivated'.
Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Norwegian cops say pro-Russian hackers likely behind suspected dam sabotage
Published Aug 13, 2025 • 1 minute read FILE - Head of the Police Security Service Beate Gangas during a press conference on threat and risk assessments in Norway, in Oslo, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023. Photo by Fredrik Varfjell / AP Russian hackers are likely behind suspected sabotage at a dam in Norway in April that affected water flows, police officials told Norwegian media on Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The director of the Norwegian Police Security Service, Beate Gangås, said cyberattacks are increasingly being carried out against western nations to stoke fear and unrest. The Associated Press has plotted more than 70 incidents on a map tracking a campaign of disruption across Europe blamed on Russia, which western officials have described as 'reckless.' Since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents, ranging from vandalism to arson and attempted assassination. Intelligence officials told the AP that the campaign is becoming more violent. During the April incident, hackers gained access to a digital system which remotely controls one of the dam's valves and opened it to increase the water flow, NRK said. The valve was open for around four hours but did not pose a danger to the surrounding area, NRK reported. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A three-minute long video showing the dam's control panel and a mark identifying a pro-Russian cybercriminal group was published on Telegram in April, police attorney Terje Nedrebø Michelsen told NRK. Similar videos have previously circulated on social media, but the announcement by Norwegian police marked the first time since 2022 that officials have publicly suggested pro-Russian hackers may have successfully targeted critical water infrastructure in Europe. Gangås told NRK that state actors typically use other groups to hack into facilities to show 'look what we can do if we want to,' before bragging about it afterward. She spoke Wednesday alongside the head of Norway's intelligence agency at a briefing titled: 'Hybrid attacks against Norway: Are we at war?' NRK said Gangås warned such activity is only likely to increase in Norway and other European countries. Read More Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA
