How is Finland preparing for possible Russian cyberattacks?


Caroline Baudry (in Helsinki), edited by Romain Rouillard
modified to

4:50 p.m., May 19, 2022

The day after its official request to join NATO, Finland is in the crosshairs of the Kremlin. After ending the export of electricity to the Nordic country, Russia could carry out cyberattacks against Helsinki which is preparing to face. Europe 1 went there.

Finland’s application for NATO membership is not really to Russia’s liking. Moscow has interrupted its electricity deliveries to Finland and could choose to attack the country in the IT field. The country is in any case preparing for an outbreak of cyberattacks and can count on its experts in the field, in particular at Fingrid, the electricity supplier in Finland. Saku, one of the company’s information security specialists, can’t take his eyes off his two computer screens. “This is firewall software. They are important so that there are no unauthorized people on the network,” he describes, showing the images in front of him.

Fingrid, the electricity supplier in Finland is preparing for cyberattacks.
Credits: Caroline Baudry/Europe 1

His office neighbor is also hard at work but cannot reveal everything about his work. Only the architecture of the power grid control in Finland is accessible, the other images being classified as explained by Kari Suominen, the company’s cybersecurity manager. All employees are trained and trained to spot intrusions. “For example, we have software that sends us fake emails. It’s a bit like a game where people increase their score when they guess it’s fake. So they’re very good at it, they have a little paranoid but in a positive sense”, he continues at the microphone of Europe 1.

No offensive yet

These skills take on a new strategic dimension with Finland’s historic move into NATO. At the end of April, this team took part in a global cyberwar simulation organized by the Atlantic Alliance. “Russia is going to want to influence Finland in one way or another during the negotiation period. So we have to be prepared for disruptions in terms of cybersecurity”, analyzes the specialist.

While waiting for possible Russian reprisals, at the request of joining NATO, the war in Ukraine seems to offer a respite to the company, which has not recorded any attempted attack since the start of the invasion.



Source link -75