Norway spy chief blames Russian hackers for hijacking dam

In early April, Russian hackers briefly took control of the Bremanger dam in western Norway, causing the release of millions of gallons of water by opening a floodgate. The cyberattack lasted about four hours and resulted in the discharge of water equivalent to roughly three Olympic-sized swimming pools before Norwegian authorities regained control. Beate Gangaas, head of Norway’s security police, publicly attributed the attack to Russian hackers during a recent speech. The Russian embassy has denied any involvement in the incident. This event adds to a series of alleged cyberattacks by Russian-backed hackers targeting Western energy infrastructure, including previous attacks on Ukraine’s power grid in 2015 and 2016 that caused widespread blackouts. The article does not provide further details on the hackers’ motives or the full extent of the damage caused by the dam breach.