NEWS

Norway has accelerated plans to scale up its national security infrastructure against threats emanating from the cyber domain.

Recent intelligence reports more than suggest that Norway’s critical IT infrastructure will likely face a higher level of targeting in the shape of malicious cyber attacks launched by hostile foreign governments and cyber crime actors.

To counter this ever-present risk, conservative prime minister Erna Solberg has mobilised the country’s national security infrastructure, including the Norwegian Defence Force’s (NDF) specialist cyber defence unit (CDU), under an umbrella-style partnership that includes strategic input from private sector ICT suppliers.

The government’s heightened interest in waging war against cyber threats became clear in January 2018, when it contracted state telecom Telenor to advise departments on best practice in the implementation of effective cyber defence strategies. The emphasis is on using advanced technologies and security measures to protect critical ICT systems.

The evolving public-private sector alliance is taking place against a backdrop of rising cyber attacks against state-run infrastructure, including the public transport company NSB, military sites and hospitals.

The partnership, which will link to a new government policy initiative to reinforce ICT security on a national level, is timely. It comes in the wake of a serious cyber attack launched in January against Helse Sør-Øst, Norway’s largest regional healthcare provider.

The preliminary results of an investigation by the national security agency PST (Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste) indicated the attack was the work of an international cyber crime group operating on behalf of an unidentified “foreign state”. The “attackers” penetrated the outer wall of the HSO’s security shield but failed to gain access to the targeted patient data system. This system contained over two million separate patient and medical files.