Norway has raised its cyber threat level to "high" following a threefold increase in hacker attacks

For the first time in its history, the Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM) has published a public assessment of the national cyber risk level, raising it to “high.” According to the agency, over the past six months, the number of successful cyberattacks against Norwegian businesses and organizations has tripled, and some of them had serious consequences for the country’s security.

The defense-industrial and space sectors, critical infrastructure facilities, and service providers for strategic enterprises are at the greatest risk. At the same time, the threat of espionage, ransomware attacks, and DDoS attacks is growing. 

The NSM identified the rapid development of artificial intelligence—which can be used in offensive cyber operations—as a separate risk factor. In light of this, the regulator has presented a comprehensive set of protective measures for Norwegian companies, including the implementation of phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication and enhanced protection for critical equipment.

Source: Norwegian National Security Authority (NSM).

The Norwegian Foreign Intelligence Service (E-tjenesten) discovered that a foreign hacker group had used the country’s digital infrastructure to launch cyberattacks against Ukrainian government agencies.

The pro-Russian group Server Killers carried out a series of cyberattacks against Norway’s public sector. As a result of the attack, dozens of the country’s government services were down for three days, and information about the national budget was leaked.