The Norwegian Police Security Service has stated that Pro-Russian cyber criminals managed to seize control of critical operation systems at the Bremanger water dam in Western Norway.
While the attack, which occurred in April, saw the dam’s outflow valves opened, the motive behind the incident is believed to be demonstrative of the intruders’ hacking prowess against international critical infrastructure.
“They don’t necessarily aim to cause destruction, but to show what they are capable of,” explained Beate Gangaas, chief of the PST agency, at the Arendalsuka annual national forum.
During her talk about the cyber-based sabotage operation against the dam, Gangaas said that the purpose of this kind of attack is to “exert influence and create fear and chaos” in the population.
She also went on to say that, since late 2023, there have been dozens of Russian-linked incidents in Europe, including arson plots and sabotage, devised to spread unrest and highlight vulnerabilities throughout the continent.
Local media has reported that the Bermanger dam’s intruders were able to set its outflow valves to the open position after compromising a digital system which controlled water flow.
Kripos, Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service, has also confirmed this after analyzing a video that pro-Russian hacktivists published on the Telegram messaging service.
The video, three minutes long, showed the water dam’s control panel, along with a watermark said to be associated with a pro-Russian cybercriminal network.
By the time dam operators had discovered and managed to reverse the unauthorised valve setting, waters exceeding 7 million litres (with a flow rate of 500 litres per second) had already passed through.
While no personnel injuries or infrastructural damages have been reported, the incident certainly paints how dangerous cyber attacks can be against critical infrastructure, in this case a facility that generates hydropower-based electricity.
According to Nils Andreas Stensones, Norway’s Intelligence Chief, Russia has become the country’s most unpredictable and largest threat.
Stensones also said that, while political tensions remain taught due to Russian hybrid attacks, Norway is not at war with Russia, nor does he expect any direct Russian interference in this autumn’s upcoming Norwegian elections.
Gangaas’ claims of cyber sabotage upon the dam have been dismissed by the Russian embassy in Oslo as “mythical”, politically driven, and unfounded accusations fabricated by the Norwegian PST.
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