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Hackers using the names Infrastructure Destruction Squad and Dark Engine claimed they breached the hydraulic pump and flood risk reduction system protecting Venice’s Piazza San Marco, saying they obtained administrative and root-level access to the operational technology environment. The group published screenshots of the control interface as purported proof of access, said the intrusion began in late March and lasted for months, and claimed it could disable defenses and flood coastal areas. The attackers also advertised alleged full root access for sale for $600.
Authorities said systems directly protecting the Basilica di San Marco were not affected, but the reported intrusion raised fresh concerns about the exposure of internet-connected operational technology tied to physical infrastructure. The incident follows broader warnings from the FBI, CISA, and NSA that Iran-linked actors are targeting internet-exposed OT systems across critical infrastructure sectors, underscoring how compromises of control systems can create immediate real-world safety and resilience risks.
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Following reports of the breach, authorities stated that critical systems directly protecting the Basilica di San Marco were not affected. The response sought to limit concern about immediate impact on the most sensitive flood protection assets.
The attackers claimed administrative and root-level access to the Venice San Marco flood defense system, published screenshots of control interfaces as evidence, and offered root access for $600. They said they could disable defenses and flood coastal areas, presenting the breach as proof of critical infrastructure weakness and political leverage.
The FBI, CISA, and NSA warned that Iran-linked actors were targeting internet-exposed operational technology systems across critical infrastructure sectors. The advisory provided broader context for rising risks to OT environments.
According to reporting, attackers calling themselves "Infrastructure Destruction Squad" or "Dark Engine" began compromising the hydraulic pump and flood risk reduction system protecting Venice’s Piazza San Marco in late March. The group claimed it maintained access for months and obtained administrative-level control.
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The U.S. State Department offered up to **$10 million** for information on six Iranian government hackers allegedly linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command and the **CyberAv3ngers** campaign targeting **Unitronics Vision Series PLCs** used in critical infrastructure, including U.S. water utilities. U.S. officials said the group exploited internet-exposed devices with default credentials and, in late 2023, defaced compromised systems with anti-Israel messages while claiming the attacks were retaliation for Israel’s actions in Gaza. One of the most visible incidents hit the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, which temporarily shifted to manual operations after an intrusion reached a pressure-regulating pump, though officials said water treatment and safe drinking water were not affected. In response, **CISA** began directly contacting water utilities with exposed Unitronics devices and urged operators to change default passwords, while the FBI and EPA said only a small number of utilities were known to be impacted but warned that exposed PLCs could provide a foothold for deeper network access and potential physical damage.
Jun 29, 2026
Government and industry reporting warns that operational technology and industrial control systems remain dangerously exposed through weak remote access, poor segmentation, and internet-facing devices, giving both state-backed and criminal actors paths into critical infrastructure. A joint **CISA/NSA** advisory said adversaries routinely exploit legacy OT environments, public system information, and insecure remote connections to move from reconnaissance to manipulation of physical processes, while a separate **CISA/FBI** alert tied Chinese state-sponsored intrusions to U.S. natural gas pipeline operators and said the actors stole SCADA and ICS information to build capabilities for future disruption. Recent exposure research also found **6,300** internet-reachable industrial-control and building-automation devices near U.S. data centers, including **BACnet**, **Fox/Niagara**, **Modbus**, and Vertiv/Liebert systems that could affect cooling and power operations. The threat has already translated into real-world disruptive activity and increasingly specialized tooling. Dragos reported **FrostyGoop**, a Golang-based ICS malware that communicates over **Modbus TCP** and was likely used to disrupt heating services in Lviv, Ukraine, after attackers apparently entered through an internet-facing router and traversed poorly segmented networks. Other cited incidents and assessments include Israel’s thwarted attempt against water facilities, persistent Russian probing of U.S. power infrastructure, and leaked-document analysis describing a Russian capability designed to attack rail and petrochemical control systems through telecommunications access. Across the reporting, the common defensive priorities were to eliminate direct public exposure, harden and inventory remote access, enforce MFA, replace default credentials, patch supported systems, restrict engineering tools, and closely monitor OT network and protocol activity.
Aug 15, 2026
A cyberattack on the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa in Pennsylvania exposed a broader campaign targeting **Unitronics Vision Series PLCs** used in water and wastewater operations. Attackers linked to the pro-Iran **Cyber Av3ngers** group reportedly defaced facility screens and disrupted a remote water pressure station, prompting operators to take affected equipment offline and switch to manual or backup processes; officials said drinking water quality and core service were not affected because the compromised system was isolated from the main treatment plant. Reporting also cited a separate incident at a North Texas utility, underscoring concern that internet-exposed industrial control systems are being actively targeted across the sector. U.S. and Irish authorities later tied similar activity to exploitation of weakly secured or internet-accessible Unitronics controllers, including default or poor password practices and the vulnerability tracked as `CVE-2023-6448`, which was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. In Ireland, attackers disrupted water service to about 160 households in County Mayo after compromising a PLC at a private group water scheme. CISA warned water operators to remove PLCs from direct internet exposure, change default credentials, enforce multifactor authentication where possible, and back up device configurations as officials and experts warned that undersecured operational technology poses an ongoing risk to critical infrastructure.
Jun 29, 2026