Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times,
Several U.S. government agencies have said that cyber actors are attempting to hack into devices made by industrial systems company Siemens that are used to monitor water and other critical infrastructure systems.
In an advisory published on Wednesday, the FBI, National Security Agency (NSA), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and other U.S. agencies informed “owners and operators of industrial control systems” that there is an “active cyber threat to Siemens S7 Series PLCs,” or programmable logic controllers—an industrial automation system.
Unnamed “threat actors are conducting reconnaissance and capability development against U.S.-based Siemens PLC installations using AI-generated exploitation scripts disguised as legitimate monitoring tools,” the advisory said.
It added that the hackers use services to find PLCs connected to the internet that run what the agencies said is “outdated software” or are “otherwise poorly protected.”
“The U.S. critical infrastructure sectors most targeted by this threat activity include Critical Manufacturing, Energy, Water and Wastewater, Chemical, Food and Agriculture, and Commercial Facilities,” the advisory reads.
“This is not a theoretical risk—it is an active threat.”
The agencies further warned that “exploitation of poorly protected PLCs could lead to disruption of critical industrial processes, safety incidents, downtime or equipment damage, compromise of sensitive data, compliance violations, and cascading impacts across interconnected systems.”
Organizations using Siemens systems are encouraged to apply relevant security updates, isolate devices and systems from the internet where possible, implement strong security protocols, and strengthen monitoring for potential malicious activity, according to the advisory.
“These mitigations are particularly important for owners and operators who work with third-party service providers or system integrators who may have remote access to PLCs, as the asset owners may not realize that their systems are exposed and at risk,” they added.
The advisory did not provide the name of a specific group, country, or actor that may be involved in attempting to hack the Siemens systems. Nor did it name companies that may have been targeted by the threat actors.
The warning comes amid U.S. cyber incidents targeting local water systems in several states in recent weeks. The FBI said earlier this month that from July 27 to July 30, water and wastewater utility companies in seven states reported security-related incidents.
In July, CISA and other agencies said Iran-linked hackers have targeted PLCs made by Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and potentially others.
A cybersecurity risk organization, Encrygma, said on Wednesday that a group linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, known as the CyberAv3ngers, has attacked water systems in the United States and displayed political messaging. CISA linked the group to cyberattacks on PLCs in late 2024.
Since February, the United States and Iran have traded strikes as the Trump administration has demanded that Tehran give up its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway that allows for the transportation of significant amounts of the world’s traded oil.
Other agencies that were involved in the release of Wednesday’s advisory included the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The NSA, FBI, CISA, and other U.S. agencies have long said that the Chinese regime, Iran, North Korea, and Russia have engaged in malicious cyber activity against U.S. infrastructure networks, collecting intelligence and engaging in cyber espionage.
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/20/2026 - 17:40A wild and highly dangerous intercept incident happened in the Black Sea on Thursday. A pair of Romanian F-16s were dispatched to track and intercept a sea drone in the vicinity the huge Neptun Deep gas platform.
The platform sits 80 miles east of the Romanian Black Sea city of Constanta and is the country's largest natural gas project and its first deep offshore project, with hundreds of people working at the site at any given time.
Omv PetromThe Wall Street Journal reports that "Romania said it deployed two F-16 jet fighters to destroy a Russia-launched explosive marine drone that threatened hundreds of lives near one of its gas platforms."
Authorities said the sea drone was observed coming to within just a few hundred meters away from the platform, and thus the decision was made that it must be neutralized.
Citing Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta, WSJ writes further, "The decision was taken, in consultation with NATO, to destroy the drone in order to protect the lives of the several hundred people who were working on the platform and to secure the infrastructure, Miruta said in a Facebook post."
President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia, after Ukraine said the drone wasn't theirs, and formally accused Moscow of endangering "critical infrastructure" and people "working at the platform."
"I strongly condemn the intensification of these types of irresponsible incidents on the part of the Russian Federation. We remain vigilant alongside NATO allies to defend ourselves and repel such challenges," he wrote on X.
The Kremlin hasn't immediately responded, and is unlikely to own up to it. However, it has recently vowed to punish Ukraine and its Western backers for the ramped-up long-range drone campaign which has unleashed havoc on its own oil refining and energy infrastructure. Moscow says that Western allies have been helping Ukrainian forces with targeting intelligence.
A Romanian F-16 destroyed a naval drone inside Romania's Black Sea EEZ on Thursday as it approached the Neptun Alpha gas platform, 80 nautical miles east of Constanța. pic.twitter.com/W9f2NVaxGX
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 20, 2026There have been widely reported petrol shortages across Russia of late, even impacting the capital and surrounding regions, due to the non-stop drone waves.
European Commission President Von der Leyen commented on the new Black Sea incident in support of Romania and NATO. "An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union," she wrote on X.
"With the European Drone Defence Initiative and the Eastern Flank Watch, we are scaling up production in Europe ... So we can respond to emerging threats with speed, unity and resolve," she added.
Video: Defense Minister Radu Miruta... showing the moment that the unidentified sea drone was obliterated...
🚨 BREAKING: A Romanian F-16 fired on an explosive-laden Russian sea drone near the Neptun Deep gas field in the Black Sea.
Top officials called it part of a growing Russian threat against the site, set to make Romania the EU's top gas producer by 2027.
Video: Defense Minister… pic.twitter.com/WxzWU5vGv7
Aerial incidents involving Russian projectiles along the EU and NATO's 'eastern flank' have become somewhat of a regular occurrence; however, the spectacle of a NATO member's jets being scrambled to track and blow up a sea drone off coastal waters is something new. It was perhaps a bright flashing 'warning' from Russian forces, showing that they can harm vital EU energy infrastructure in return if they want to.
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/20/2026 - 17:21Authored by T.J.Muscaro via The Epoch Times,
Hawaii could face its second tropical storm or hurricane in a week as a low-pressure system was reported on Aug. 19 to be developing near the islands.
Another tropical storm is expected to develop in the Central Pacific as Hurricane Lala moves away from Hawaii on Aug. 19, 2026. National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center warned that the system was developing thunderstorms that had a 90 percent chance of organizing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours.
“Environmental conditions appear favorable for further development of this system, and a tropical depression is likely to form during the next day or so as the system moves westward to west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph and crosses into the Central Pacific,” the center advised.
“Interests in the Hawaiian Islands should closely monitor the progress of this system.”
As of 4:30 p.m. ET on Aug. 19, forecast models generally estimated the storm to remain offshore and pass well south of the archipelago, with the closest pass being on the southern point of the Big Island around Aug. 23.
Some models indicate that a pocket of high pressure will remain over the Big Island during this time.
If this storm develops into a tropical storm—that is, it organizes into a proper cyclone with sustained wind speeds of at least 39 mph—it will become Tropical Storm Moke.
Meanwhile, residents across multiple islands continue to reel from the close pass of Hurricane Lala just one week ago.
The Big Island was hit with more than three feet of rain in some places, triggering catastrophic flooding and landslides that rendered highways impassable and washed away entire homes, particularly in the communities of Naalehu and Waiohinu.
Power outages, downed trees, rock slides, and severe winds also impacted the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Oahu, and Kauai over the previous weekend.
Major airports on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island remained accessible and operational at some capacity on Aug. 16.
The governor closed all state and county offices as well as all schools and judiciary offices on Aug. 17 due to the damage the hurricane left behind.
Hawaiian Electric estimated that some customers in the southeast end of the Big Island could be without power through Labor Day weekend, with 95 percent expected to have power restored by Sept. 8, if the new storm development does not disrupt their work.
“We understand that it is frustrating and challenging to be without power,” the company said on X.
“Due to significant storm damage, customers in certain remote or severely damaged areas should prepare to be without power for much longer periods of time.”
Tyler Durden Thu, 08/20/2026 - 17:00