Threat Intelligence Tarot
wands · 3
Iran (IRGC - Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)
risk 4/5
The Wrench
Cyber Av3ngers
CyberAv3ngers · IRGC Cyberspace Battalion
US water utilitiesIsrael-linked OT vendorsCritical infrastructure with Israeli-made equipment
Active since ~2020 · US/Israel critical infrastructure targeting, OT/ICS disruption, Water system attacks
It found Israeli-made programmable logic controllers in American water plants and changed their setpoints. It was not subtle - it left its name on the screen. The Wrench is not a scalpel; it is a statement. Your infrastructure runs on components with origins it finds objectionable.
Tactics & Techniques
RCN
RDV
INI
EXC
PRS
PRV
EVA
CRD
DSC
LAT
COL
C2
EXF
IMP
T1078
Valid Accounts
Initial Access
T1489
Service Stop
Impact
T1562.001
Disable or Modify Tools
Defense Evasion
T1485
Data Destruction
Impact
T1491.002
External Defacement
Impact
Notable Operations
  • Aliquippa, PA water authority - Unitronics PLC compromise (Nov 2023)
  • Multiple US water utilities targeted via default credentials
  • CISA emergency alert for water sector (Dec 2023)
  • US Treasury sanctions on IRGC Cyberspace Battalion officers (2024)
Defenses
Reversed: Their Weakness
Cyber Av3ngers' use of default credentials as its primary attack vector reveals the defensive gap it exploits: the water sector's chronic underinvestment in basic cybersecurity hygiene, not sophisticated tradecraft, enabled the intrusion.

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Data sourced from MITRE ATT&CK. For educational purposes.