It is a widespread misconception to view cyberattacks against critical infrastructure as isolated technological events. When more than 100 American water and wastewater facilities over the summer were scanned, accessed, or disrupted by hacker collectives such as the Iran-affiliated group CyberAv3ngers, it was not merely a matter of IT security. It is a direct offshoot of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and a textbook example of how natural resources are instrumentalized in asymmetric warfare.
