The U.S. government has issued a stark warning that Iranian state-backed hackers are using advanced cyber techniques to disrupt industrial control systems at water and energy providers in America.

This new alert follows previous warnings about heightened hacking activity by Iranian actors amid the ongoing conflict, with the latest advisory from the FBI, NSA, Department of Energy and CISA highlighting the specific targeting of programmable logic controllers made by Rockwell, Schneider Electric and Siemens.

These hackers are exploiting internet-connected systems to manipulate data, causing outages and potentially placing critical infrastructure at risk. The agencies urge owners of affected systems to take immediate action to prevent potential disruptions, suggesting that these targeted activities may be in response to the current geopolitical tensions.

Historically, Iranian hackers have engaged in a range of cyberattacks, from typical espionage missions to destructive hacks with far-reaching consequences. For instance, they breached Stryker, a U.S. medical tech giant, allowing data wiping on thousands of employee devices. More recently, they claimed responsibility for affecting the California water provider Cal Water, though no evidence was presented.

As technology and conflict intertwine, it becomes increasingly clear that cyber warfare is not just a future possibility but an ongoing reality with tangible impacts on everyday life.