Cyber Attack Hits 12 Norwegian Ministries, Weakness Expos On Suppliers Platform

JAKARTA - Twelve ministries in Norway have been targeted by cyberattacks. This was said by the Norwegian government on Monday, July 24. The latest attack hit the public sector from Europe's largest gas supplier and NATO members in the northernmost region.

"We identified a weakness in the platform of one of our suppliers. That weakness has now been closed," said Erik Hope, head of the government agency responsible for providing services to ministries, at a press conference.

The attack was detected because there was an "unusual traffic" on the supplier platform, Hope said, without providing further details. The attack was revealed on July 12 and is being investigated by the police.

"It's too early to say who was behind this attack and the extent of the impact," he said.

Norway is Europe's largest gas supplier after a decline in gas flow from Russia, and is the largest oil exporter in Western Europe.

"The Prime Minister's Office as well as the foreign, defense, and judicial ministries are not affected because they use different IT platforms," said Hope.

The Norwegian public sector had previously been the target of cyberattacks, including in June 2022, when the "denial-of-service" (DDoS) attack took place, which was blamed on the "pro-Russian criminal" group.

As a NATO member, Norway shares its border with Russia in the Arctic region and supports Ukraine with weapons, humanitarian aid, and money.

The number of cyberattacks in Norway has tripled between 2019 and 2021, the country's latest risk assessment report in February, with the number of serious incidents in 2022 at the same level as in 2021.