VandCenter Syd in Odense says it faces cyberattacks every day and is bracing for more, after Denmark’s Defence Intelligence Service warned that Russia will intensify its hybrid warfare against NATO in the coming months.
The water utility described its preparations to DR on September 24, 2026. Deputy director Andreas Bjørn Basset said the company follows what the authorities say and runs what he called solid monitoring. Central authorities supply data on what the utility should watch most closely.
The warning came the same day at a press conference held by Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste, attended by Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus (S). The service said the threat picture against Denmark and the rest of NATO has sharpened. It expects Russia to escalate its hybrid attacks in the months ahead.
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Hybrid threats are not new territory for VandCenter Syd. According to DR, the utility is targeted by cyberattacks daily, and they take many different forms. Basset said it can be difficult to tell whether attackers want to cause destruction, obtain data, or get money.
The company has staff assigned to handle these situations, he told DR. He described the security level as high and said measures are taken every single day. The aim is to keep systems secure and updated.
Possible scenarios
Basset said one of the worst outcomes would be an attacker stopping the treatment of water. Another scenario involves intruders reaching the systems that control the water supply. They could then halt pumping, or raise the pressure so that pipes burst underground or inside homes.
He assessed that such an event is not particularly likely. The utility stands on a foundation built over the past 20 to 30 years, he said. The mechanisms behind the treatment plants are well controlled and contained, according to his account to DR.
TV 2 reported that SAMSIK has raised Denmark’s threat level for destructive cyberattacks from medium to high. The outlet said the assessment pointed to Russia’s increased risk taking and hybrid warfare as making such attacks likely. TV 2 also covered the intelligence service’s assessment and the government briefing.
In its published assessment, Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste described a low but rising risk of limited Russian military attacks on a NATO country. A full invasion of a NATO country is considered unlikely, according to the same assessment.
Bruus stressed at the press conference that the assessment does not describe likely military attacks on the Kingdom of Denmark. The minister spoke alongside representatives of the intelligence service.
