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Norway’s National Security Authority (NSM) said on Tuesday that the number of “successful” cyberattacks targeting Norwegian organisations had trebled in the last six months as it warned of a continued threat to national security.
In a new report, the NSM – which is involved in efforts to counter espionage and hybrid threats – said the country’s defence industry and space sector were particularly exposed to cyber risk.
“This also applies to critical infrastructure and service providers to organisations that are important to national security,” it said.
“NSM has not previously made this type of assessment public,” director Arne Christian Haugstøyl added. “We are doing so now because it is absolutely necessary to strengthen both the resilience and the ability to handle cyber operations in Norwegian organisations.”
The report follows increasing warnings across Europe of suspected Russian hybrid attacks, including cyber operations.
In August, Norwegian media reported that a Russian hacker group had declared war on Norway while also claiming responsibility for a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that had reportedly impacted multiple government digital services.
In its report published on Tuesday, the NSM did not point to a specific actor but said that certain businesses and organisations were being increasingly subjected to reconnaissance and ransomware and DDoS attacks.
The agency also warned of the threat posed by artificial intelligence technology, which it said posed a “serious risk” to Norwegian businesses and organisations.
“AI analyzes large amounts of data and identifies vulnerabilities faster than humans have been able to,” Haugstøyl said. “These vulnerabilities open up new opportunities for cyberattacks at a faster pace and on a larger scale.
“This means that the risk is increasing, and the pace at which security measures are implemented must be accelerated.”