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 dam, which which is used for farming fish, 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.”
[…]
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.
Source: Russian hackers seized control of Norwegian dam, spy chief says | Russia | The Guardian
Robin Edgar
Organisational Structures | Technology and Science | Military, IT and Lifestyle consultancy | Social, Broadcast & Cross Media | Flying aircraft