Russian hackers gain temporary access to dam in Norway

Russian hackers briefly gained control of a dam in Bremanger, western Norway, on April 7, 2025. They used the access to release 500 liters of water per second for four hours before the attack was stopped. Fortunately, no one was injured, TechCrunch reports.

This is the first time that Norwegian officials have officially accused Russia of a cyberattack. Beate Gangås, head of the Norwegian Security Police, said in a statement that there had been a noticeable change in the activity of pro-Russian cyber activists over the past year.

"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," Gangås added.

She also says that she decided to speak publicly about this situation to warn the public and prevent future attacks.

Norway uses hydroelectric power to generate most of its electricity, and Norwegian intelligence agencies have previously warned of the potential risks of attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.

According to Reuters, the Russian embassy in Oslo denied any involvement in the incident. Representatives say Gangas's statements are "baseless and politically motivated."

"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," the embassy said in a statement.

Last year, British intelligence accused Russia of carrying out a "reckless campaign" of sabotage in Europe to intimidate European countries into refusing to help Ukraine. The Russian government, of course, denied all of this.

By the way, it's not just European countries that are at risk. It was previously reported that hackers supported by the Russian government carried out a large-scale cyberattack on the US judicial system.