Shieldworkz Featured by Industrial Cyber
Shieldworkz Featured by Industrial Cyber for expert analysis on coordinated cyber attacks against Romanian water and energy infrastructure
January 05, 2026
Shieldworkz was quoted in an Industrial Cyber investigation into a late-December 2025 campaign that disrupted Romania’s national water authority and a major energy producer. The report details how attackers targeted administrative IT systems - ERP, email, document stores and public websites - to maximise disruption during the holiday period. Shieldworkz’s EU Director, Prayukth K V, contributed expert analysis on attacker timing, tactics and why administrative IT compromises create second-order risks for operational continuity.
Shieldworkz Featured by Industrial Cyber for expert analysis on coordinated cyber attacks against Romanian water and energy infrastructure
January 05, 2026
Shieldworkz was quoted in an Industrial Cyber investigation into a late-December 2025 campaign that disrupted Romania’s national water authority and a major energy producer. The report details how attackers targeted administrative IT systems - ERP, email, document stores and public websites - to maximise disruption during the holiday period. Shieldworkz’s EU Director, Prayukth K V, contributed expert analysis on attacker timing, tactics and why administrative IT compromises create second-order risks for operational continuity.
Key takeaways from the coverage
Administrative IT as the primary target. Attackers hit ERP platforms, document management systems, email services and public websites - tools that form the operational “brain” of service providers.
Holiday timing magnified impact. Incidents unfolded in late December 2025, exploiting reduced staffing and slower response cycles typical of end-of-year holidays.
Tactics varied but objectives aligned. The Oltenia Energy Complex incident involved a ransomware strain attributed to the ‘Gentlemen’ group, while the water authority attack showed “living off the land” use of native Windows tools (BitLocker). Both approaches aimed to lock administrative systems.
Cross-sector dependencies increase systemic risk. Because water management affects hydropower and cooling, attackers who map those dependencies can amplify disruption across energy and water sectors.
Key takeaways from the coverage
Administrative IT as the primary target. Attackers hit ERP platforms, document management systems, email services and public websites - tools that form the operational “brain” of service providers.
Holiday timing magnified impact. Incidents unfolded in late December 2025, exploiting reduced staffing and slower response cycles typical of end-of-year holidays.
Tactics varied but objectives aligned. The Oltenia Energy Complex incident involved a ransomware strain attributed to the ‘Gentlemen’ group, while the water authority attack showed “living off the land” use of native Windows tools (BitLocker). Both approaches aimed to lock administrative systems.
Cross-sector dependencies increase systemic risk. Because water management affects hydropower and cooling, attackers who map those dependencies can amplify disruption across energy and water sectors.
Why this coverage matters
Industrial Cyber’s reporting exposes a growing adversary preference: instead of directly sabotaging OT controllers, attackers increasingly target the administrative IT layers that coordinate operations, maintenance and logistics. That approach can paralyse organisations that manage water flows and electricity generation while leaving OT alarms silent - a strategic trade that raises systemic risk across national critical infrastructure.
Shieldworkz perspective
“The timing and focus of these intrusions were tactical - the adversary targeted the administrative backbone when organisations were least prepared,” said Prayukth K V, Director for the EU Region at Shieldworkz. He noted that disabling ERP and communications can effectively stop a provider’s administrative and logistical functions even when the National Energy System remains operational. Shieldworkz stressed that modern resilience requires detection and response that bridges IT and OT, plus tested plans for low-staff periods such as holidays.
Shieldworkz highlighted that modern threat actors increasingly favor precision and persistence over noisy disruption. By conducting reconnaissance on exposed services, exploiting compromised credentials, and targeting high-value administrative platforms, attackers can exert sustained pressure on organizations while staying below traditional OT detection thresholds.
The reporting reinforces Shieldworkz’ long-held position that resilience requires visibility and control across both IT and OT, supported by tested incident response processes that account for real-world operational constraints.
Practical steps for leaders
Identify administrative single points of failure. Map ERP, document stores, identity providers, DNS and communications systems that underpin operational continuity.
Plan for low-staff scenarios. Ensure monitoring, escalation, and incident response procedures remain effective during holidays and reduced staffing periods.
Strengthen identity and vendor access. Limit credential exposure through least privilege, multi-factor authentication, and just-in-time vendor access.
Detect living-off-the-land techniques. Monitor for abnormal use of native system tools, privilege changes, and policy modifications that indicate stealthy intrusion.
Prepare for rapid isolation and recovery. Maintain segmented architectures, immutable backups, and rehearsed rebuild procedures for critical administrative platforms.
Bridge IT and OT security operations. Align teams, telemetry, and response playbooks to prevent blind spots between enterprise and operational environments.
Shieldworkz offers tailored readiness reviews and recovery planning focused on administrative IT dependencies and cross-sector impacts.
Why this coverage matters
Industrial Cyber’s reporting exposes a growing adversary preference: instead of directly sabotaging OT controllers, attackers increasingly target the administrative IT layers that coordinate operations, maintenance and logistics. That approach can paralyse organisations that manage water flows and electricity generation while leaving OT alarms silent - a strategic trade that raises systemic risk across national critical infrastructure.
Shieldworkz perspective
“The timing and focus of these intrusions were tactical - the adversary targeted the administrative backbone when organisations were least prepared,” said Prayukth K V, Director for the EU Region at Shieldworkz. He noted that disabling ERP and communications can effectively stop a provider’s administrative and logistical functions even when the National Energy System remains operational. Shieldworkz stressed that modern resilience requires detection and response that bridges IT and OT, plus tested plans for low-staff periods such as holidays.
Shieldworkz highlighted that modern threat actors increasingly favor precision and persistence over noisy disruption. By conducting reconnaissance on exposed services, exploiting compromised credentials, and targeting high-value administrative platforms, attackers can exert sustained pressure on organizations while staying below traditional OT detection thresholds.
The reporting reinforces Shieldworkz’ long-held position that resilience requires visibility and control across both IT and OT, supported by tested incident response processes that account for real-world operational constraints.
Practical steps for leaders
Identify administrative single points of failure. Map ERP, document stores, identity providers, DNS and communications systems that underpin operational continuity.
Plan for low-staff scenarios. Ensure monitoring, escalation, and incident response procedures remain effective during holidays and reduced staffing periods.
Strengthen identity and vendor access. Limit credential exposure through least privilege, multi-factor authentication, and just-in-time vendor access.
Detect living-off-the-land techniques. Monitor for abnormal use of native system tools, privilege changes, and policy modifications that indicate stealthy intrusion.
Prepare for rapid isolation and recovery. Maintain segmented architectures, immutable backups, and rehearsed rebuild procedures for critical administrative platforms.
Bridge IT and OT security operations. Align teams, telemetry, and response playbooks to prevent blind spots between enterprise and operational environments.
Shieldworkz offers tailored readiness reviews and recovery planning focused on administrative IT dependencies and cross-sector impacts.
About Shieldworkz
Shieldworkz protects OT, IoT and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) across industrial operations and critical infrastructure. We combine domain-aware detection, threat hunting and hands-on incident response to reduce attack surface, accelerate recovery, and help organisations modernise securely without compromising availability or safety.
About Shieldworkz
Shieldworkz protects OT, IoT and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) across industrial operations and critical infrastructure. We combine domain-aware detection, threat hunting and hands-on incident response to reduce attack surface, accelerate recovery, and help organisations modernise securely without compromising availability or safety.
Visit our website: https://shieldworkz.com
For press inquiries and expert interviews, contact: info@shieldworkz.com
Stay ahead of tomorrow’s threats with Shieldworkz, your partner in proactive OT cybersecurity.
Learn More & Resources
Visit our website: https://shieldworkz.com
For press inquiries and expert interviews, contact: info@shieldworkz.com
Stay ahead of tomorrow’s threats with Shieldworkz, your partner in proactive OT cybersecurity.
Learn More & Resources
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