Authorities across the Nordic region have raised preparedness levels after Swedish broadcaster TV4 reported a serious threat against the common energy infrastructure.
TV4 said an actor with links to a foreign power has issued a warning covering all Nordic countries and signalled that an attack could take place in the near future. The broadcaster cited unnamed sources and described the threat as concrete.
Sweden’s National Defence Radio Establishment, known as FRA, confirmed that it has urged the energy sector to increase vigilance.
“It is correct that we have urged the energy sector to increased vigilance in Sweden,” said Ola Billger, head of communications at FRA, in comments carried by TV4. “We did that at the end of last week through the National Cyber Security Centre.”
Billger said the move followed cyber attacks against Poland’s energy sector in late December.
“The background is that Poland was subjected to attacks in its energy sector at the end of December. We assess that there is reason to be attentive in a Swedish context as well,” he said.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the time that Russian influence stood behind the incident, according to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Polish authorities shared information with Nordic counterparts after the attack, which led to steps in Sweden.
TV4 reported that several authorities and police units across the Nordic countries have entered a state of alert. In Sweden, police officers have received orders to guard facilities linked to energy supply.
The broadcaster said the actor behind the threat has indicated a deadline before a possible strike. TV4 stated that it does not know how the attack would be carried out or what form it would take.
Swedish police confirmed that they are monitoring the situation.
FRA said it has advised energy facilities to review a report from Poland and to strengthen monitoring capacity.
“It is about reading this report from Poland and taking part in the content. We have also urged the sector to have good monitoring capability, to be able to handle cyber attacks. In particular to have the ability to restore systems if something happens,” Billger told TV4.
In Finland, several authorities contacted by local media said they could not immediately comment on the Swedish reports. These included the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, the national grid company Fingrid, the Energy Authority and the National Cyber Security Centre.
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom and other agencies also declined to provide immediate assessments when approached by reporters.
TV4 reported that Swedish authorities are taking part in a joint international effort in response to the threat. The operation is led by FRA, which operates under the Ministry of Defence and conducts signals intelligence.
The broadcaster said the threat concerns the energy network across the Nordic region, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.
HT
