On July 26, 2026, one of the most extensive cyber operations against American critical infrastructure unfolded across Minnesota. By weaponizing an unfixable cryptographic flaw in Rockwell Automation PLCs, suspected Iranian hackers compromised over 30 municipal water systems. In this exclusive Tekin Garage briefing, we dissect the technical anatomy of CVE-2021-22681, the CyberAv3ngers playbook, and the structural crisis in OT security.
The Night of July 26: When Water for 30 Cities Came Under Threat On the night of July 26, 2026, a coordinated and unprecedented cyberattack began targeting more than 30 municipal water and wastewater systems
across Minnesota. This attack, which continued for 48 hours, was one of the most extensive cyber operations against American critical infrastructure in recent years. In Braham, a city with about 1,700
residents, the water treatment plant completely shut down. Residents woke up that morning to shocking news: the computerized controls managing the wells and water treatment plant had been disabled by unknown
actors. How the Attack Began: Four Cities, Four Different Stories Nate George, Braham's mayor, said in a statement: Minnesota's local governments are expected to defend essential systems against foreign
adversaries and sophisticated criminals, often with limited staff, aging technology and inadequate resources. [IMAGE_PLACEHOLDER_1] Plymouth, with a population of approximately 80,000, had a different
experience. Rather than losing service, the city's IT division took a preemptive step: it disconnected the cellular-connected equipment at two water towers and multiple wastewater lift stations from the
network to stop the intrusion and prevent re-targeting while systems were reconfigured. Operations continued through manual procedures throughout. South St. Paul reported that some automated utility controls
were affected but that contingency procedures prevented any major impact to operations. Maple Plain declared a local state of emergency to accelerate its response. Ensuring Water Safety: No Danger to Citizens
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