Latest news with #BeateGangås
The Guardian
14-08-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Russian hackers seized control of Norwegian dam, spy chief says
Russian hackers took control of a Norwegian dam this year, opening a floodgate and allowing water to flow unnoticed for four hours, Norway's intelligence service has said. The admission, by the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), marks the first time that Oslo has formally attributed the cyber-attack in April on Bremanger, western Norway, to Moscow. The attack on the hydropower dam, which produces electricity, released 500 litres (132 gallons) of water a second for four hours until the incident was detected and stopped. The head of PST, Beate Gangås, said on Wednesday: 'Over the past year, we have seen a change in activity from pro-Russian cyber actors.' The Bremanger incident was an example of such an attack, she added. 'The aim of this type of operation is to influence and to cause fear and chaos among the general population. Our Russian neighbour has become more dangerous.' The incident did not cause any injuries or damage because the water level of the river and the dam, which is close to the town of Svelgen, was a long way below flood capacity. The alleged perpetrators reportedly published a three-minute video, watermarked with the name of a pro-Russian cybercriminal group, on Telegram on the day of the attack. Kripos, Norway's organised crime police unit, told the Aftenposten newspaper it was 'aware this group brought together several actors who commit crime in the cyber domain' and had been linked to several cyber-attacks against businesses in the west in recent years. Gangås said: 'Russian intelligence services spend significant resources identifying, cultivating and recruiting contacts in Norway. Norwegian citizens could be good sources of information for them.' Intelligence services in Norway, which produces the majority of its electricity using hydropower dams, had previously warned of the potential risk of such attacks on energy infrastructure. Norway and Russia share a 123-mile (198km) border, with a crossing at Storskog, Europe's only open Schengen border with Russia. The Russian embassy in Oslo said Gangås's statements were 'unfounded and politically motivated'. It told Reuters news agency: 'It is obvious that the PST is unsuccessfully trying to substantiate the mythical threat of Russian sabotage against Norwegian infrastructure this year, which it itself invented in its February (annual) report.' Last year, Richard Moore, the head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, accused Russia of a 'staggeringly reckless campaign' of sabotage in Europe, in part to frighten countries from helping Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegation. The PST has been contacted for comment.
ABC News
14-08-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Norway's spy chief blames Russian hackers for dam sabotage
Russian hackers briefly took control of a dam in Norway earlier this year, the head of the Nordic country's counterintelligence agency has revealed. The hackers opened a flood gate at the dam in Bremanger, western Norway, on April 7, and released 500 litres of water per second for 4 hours before the attack was detected and stopped, authorities previously said. No-one was injured during the attack. Russia's involvement in the attack was revealed in a speech by Beate Gangås, the head of Norway's PST security police agency. "Over the past year, we have seen a change in activity from pro-Russian cyber actors," she said, adding that the incident at Bremanger was one such activity. Her comments marked the first time Oslo has officially attributed the cyber attack to its neighbour. Norway produces most of its electricity via hydropower dams, and intelligence authorities have previously warned of the risk of attacks on its energy infrastructure. "The aim of this type of operation is to influence and to cause fear and chaos among the general population," Ms Gangås said. In an email to Reuters, the Russian embassy in Oslo said the declarations were "unfounded and politically motivated". Last September, Britain's spy chief accused Russia of waging a "staggeringly reckless campaign" of sabotage in Europe, partly to scare European countries from helping Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegation. After her speech, Ms Gangås told Reuters that she was going public with the attribution to warn the general population and to try to prevent Russia from launching further attacks. "I want Norwegians to be prepared," she said in an interview. NATO member Norway shares a border with Russia in the Arctic. Like the other Nordic countries, it is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. It is also Europe's largest supplier of gas, which is mostly transported via a network of pipelines under the North Sea. Reuters/ABC
Hindustan Times
13-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Norwegian police say pro-Russian hackers were likely behind suspected sabotage at a dam
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. Since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents.(Pixabay/Representative) 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. 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 afterwards. 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.
Mint
13-08-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Norwegian police say pro-Russian hackers were likely behind suspected sabotage at a dam
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. 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 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. 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 afterwards. 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. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Independent
13-08-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Norwegian police say pro-Russian hackers were likely behind suspected sabotage at a dam
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. 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. 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 afterwards. 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.
