Norway spy chief blames Russian hackers for hijacking dam

In a startling revelation, Norway's head of security services disclosed that Russian hackers gained temporary control over a dam in early April, unleashing millions of gallons of water during a brief, four-hour takeover. The incident at the Bremanger dam, located in western Norway, saw the hackers manipulate a floodgate, releasing an amount of water equivalent to three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Beate Gangaas, the chief of Norway's security police, attributed the cyber intrusion directly to Russian operatives during a speech on Thursday, as reported by Norwegian media outlets. In response, the Russian embassy has denied any connection to the attack, according to Reuters. This incident is part of a disturbing pattern of cyber activities attributed to Russian hackers, who have increasingly targeted Western energy infrastructures. Notably, Russia has previously been implicated in cyberattacks on Ukraine's power grid, which resulted in significant blackouts in 2015 and 2016, highlighting the ongoing threat to energy security posed by state-backed cyber operations.