In the latest episode of cyber turmoil, Minnesota has found itself the unlikely star of a cybersecurity drama. It seems Iranian hackers, likely out to teach the Great Star of the North a thing or two, decided to flex their digital muscles. The nerve! They allegedly initiated a cyber attack that fiddled with the water systems across over 30 communities. One town even had to temporarily bow out of the water supply race entirely. Cue the dramatic soundtrack as investigators scramble to pinpoint the elusive hackers, all while leaning heavily on the notion that Iran is up to its old tricks.

There’s a recurring theme here, folks. Iranian hackers apparently have a fondness for poking around in American water systems, though usually without much to show for it. But this time, the city of Brown, Minnesota, noticed something was amiss when its seemingly rebellious water tower wanted more water than it needed. Despite all the digital mischief, backup systems came to the rescue, and plant operators resorted to the ever-reliable manual overrides. Talk about old-school innovation saving the day! Ultimately, disruptions were kept to a minimum, probably much to the hackers’ disappointment.

The signs, according to investigators, scream out for a familiar culprit. Iran’s distinct cyber calling cards—a knack for timing, methodology, and sheer audacity—have emerged from this attack like an embarrassing high school yearbook photo. Despite a lack of ransom demands, which is the usual melodrama in these hacker stories, the conclusion tilts toward a state-sponsored party intending to stir the pot rather than extort cash. Thanks to aging security tech that’s graying faster than some of our politicians, cyber experts and the mayor of Brown are waving this incident around as a wake-up call. It’s about time we start freshening up those old digital defenses before something worse happens.

David Kennedy, a cybersecurity whiz, dropped some knowledge that likely left more than a few eyebrows raised across the nation. He pointed out that these kinds of cyber shenanigans are becoming more mainstream, thanks in part to advances in artificial intelligence. Once the luxury of elite groups, hacking is now a hobby for many, making a secure system feel about as stable as a three-legged chair. It doesn’t help that a vast majority of critical infrastructure is privately owned and rocking tech straight out of the last century. Is it any wonder that the metaphorical old barn door is wide open at this point?

So here it is: an angry Iran, seemingly on the offensive, taking aim at anything that could cause chaos in the U.S. It seems small towns may just be the warm-up act before the hackers try their luck on bigger stages like Los Angeles. Yet, as much as we’d love to give a standing ovation to local and federal agencies for warding off attackers, perhaps it’s worth pondering whether their performance could do with a bit more rehearsal. Our cybersecurity defenses should leap out of lethargy lest we find ourselves uncomfortably caught off guard in a world where the stakes are growing by the day.