Norway Blames Pro-Russian Hackers for Dam Cyberattack

Norway says pro-Russian hackers breached a dam in Bremanger in April, opening a water valve for 4 hours after exploiting a weak password. Officials call it part of a wider hybrid warfare campaign targeting Europe.

Norwegian authorities have officially blamed pro-Russian hackers for a cyberattack on a dam in western Norway this past April. According to Beate Gangås, the head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), the breach at the dam in the Bremanger municipality was part of a broader strategy by Russia, described as “hybrid warfare.”

The attack, while not causing major damage, was intended to “cause fear and chaos” among the public and “demonstrate what they are capable of,” Gangås said at a recent public event.

“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,” Beate Gangås

The cyberattack occurred at the Lake Risevatnet dam in the municipality of Bremanger, which is not used for electricity production. As per Hackread.com’s coverage of this incident in June 2025, unidentified hackers managed to break into the dam’s remote-control system. They then opened a water valve, releasing 500 litres (about 132 gallons) of water per second for a full four hours before the problem was discovered and the valve was shut.

While the attack didn’t cause any injuries or significant damage, it did highlight a major security flaw. The initial breach was suspected to be a result of the dam’s web-accessible control panel being protected by a weak password. This vulnerability allowed the attackers to gain direct access to the dam’s operational systems, demonstrating how simple vulnerabilities can risk critical infrastructure.

Interestingly, a pro-Russian cyber group reportedly posted a three-minute video on Telegram showing the dam’s control panel, seemingly taking credit for the attack, revealed police attorney Terje Nedrebø Michelsen. This action, officials claim, is a typical tactic used by state-backed groups to brag about their capabilities without officially being tied to the incident.

This comes after officials had previously warned of the potential for such attacks. The head of the Norwegian Intelligence Service, Nils Andreas Stensønes, echoed this concern, calling Russia the biggest threat to Norway’s security.

The Associated Press has been tracking this campaign, charting more than 70 incidents across Europe that have been blamed on Russia. These include vandalism and arson to attempted assassinations, which Western officials have described as “reckless” and violent.

In a separate, but related event, a hacking group with suspected links to Russia breached a Texas water facility’s system in January 2024, causing it to overflow. The Russian embassy in Oslo has denied the accusations, calling them “unfounded and politically motivated.”

Neither incident should come as a surprise, as in November 2024, 73% of industrial control systems (ICS) in Europe and the United States were found vulnerable to remote attacks.