US Government Warns Iran-Linked Hackers Targeting Energy and Water Infrastructure

US officials have attributed a series of cyberattacks against American energy and water utilities to Iran-linked hackers. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has documented multiple incidents in which attackers exploited internet-facing industrial control systems to access and disrupt operations at critical facilities. The breaches represent a shift in Iranian cyber operations from intelligence collection to active sabotage. The affected organizations include energy providers and water treatment facilities across several US states. Attackers disabled operational technology devices, causing temporary service interruptions. The disclosure comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. Security researchers have attributed the activity to a group tracked as CyberAv3ngers, which has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on Israeli infrastructure. The group's focus on industrial control systems reflects a broader trend of state-sponsored actors targeting critical infrastructure. Federal agencies have issued advisories urging utilities to implement network segmentation and access controls for industrial systems. The attacks underscore the persistent vulnerability of aging infrastructure to internet-connected threats.