Cyber attack affects 12 ministries in Norway

On Monday, Norwegian authorities reported a cyberattack that targeted 12 ministries, prompting an investigation into the source of the attack.  

Erik Hope, head of the government agency in charge of providing services to ministries, stated, "We discovered a previously unknown security vulnerability in one of our suppliers' software." He further explained during a press conference, "This vulnerability was exploited by an unknown entity, and it is too early to determine the responsible party or the extent of the attack." 

The sovereignty and functions of the government's key offices, including the Prime Minister's office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Justice, are unaffected, as they have separate systems in place. 

According to Hope, the security vulnerability has been patched, but the 12 ministries' employees are still unable to access work emails on their mobile phones or tablets. 

Sigbjørn Gjelsvik, Minister of Regional Development, reassured the public, stating, "Government operations continue as usual." 

The cyberattack prompted the Norwegian Police to launch an investigation. 

In 2020 and 2021, the Norwegian Parliament also faced cyberattacks, with at least one of them officially attributed to the Russian hacker group "Fancy Bear," known to have ties to Russian authorities. However, the Russian embassy dismissed the allegations at that time, calling them "unfounded" and "unacceptable." 

AFP