A threat actor, operating under names such as “Infrastructure Destruction Squad” or “Dark Engine,” claims to have targeted the hydraulic pump system that protects Venice’s iconic St. Mark’s Square from flooding.

“We are not here to destroy you. We are simply here to deliver a message,” the group menacingly announced in Mandarin on its Telegram channel.

The message apparently is that the “Infrastructure Destruction Squad” has gained access to the hydraulic pump system that protects St. Mark’s Square and other vulnerable locations all around Italy from flooding.

In their own words, the group suggests they could “disable defenses and flood coastal areas,” essentially turning a digital intrusion into a potential physical disaster.

“Yes, you conducted new checks after the attack in late March. Yes, equipment tests came back positive after Easter. But what you haven’t understood is that we refused to completely shut down the flood defense system,” the hackers wrote on Telegram.

“We can do it, and we are still inside your network. No tests conducted by your security teams can drive us away. No system updates can expel us. We have been here for months and will remain here for months to come.”

In all fairness, the group hasn’t only targeted Venice. Hackers claim they have breached Italy’s entire flood risk reduction system, gaining the ability to disable defenses and flood areas.

The goal is allegedly to expose critical infrastructure weaknesses and even enable political pressure. The threat actor also offered to sell full root access to the control system for $600.

According to an influential Italian daily, Corriere Delle Sera, the flooding of Venice, one of the most visited cities in the world, has now ceased to be merely theoretical: “A war fought with digital tools is capable of producing real effects.”

“It’s a new form of terrorism: not explosions but digital actions with economic and social consequences,” the newspaper wrote.

The infrastructure at risk – specifically in Venice – is worth roughly $4.7 million, consisting of sensors, pumps, and pneumatic valves protecting St. Mark’s Basilica.

The “Infrastructure Destruction Squad” wrote its message about the potential flooding of Venice in Mandarin. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the group’s origins are Chinese.

Last September, the group claimed responsibility for multiple intrusions against targets in Latvia, a Baltic state in Europe, and said it was “revenge for Sergey,” a pro-Russian activist allegedly arrested in Germany.

Either way, it seems critical infrastructure is becoming increasingly exposed worldwide.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and FBI said last week that Iran-linked threat actors are actively hitting US government facilities, water systems, and energy infrastructure by exploiting exposed PLC devices, a critical component used to automate industrial control systems.

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