The country's Minister of Civil Defense announced that the computer systems of Swedish government agencies, which were knocked out by a cyberattack on the data center of Tietoevry Oyj, may remain out of service for weeks.
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The ransomware , carried out over the weekend by a group known as Akira, has paralyzed payroll processing at a large number of institutions and caused additional problems at hospitals, cinemas and other businesses. At a press conference on Friday, Carl-Oskar Bohlin said that 178 reports of potential personal data breaches have been filed since Saturday.
“We are dealing with a very serious incident and we still do not know the full extent of it,” he said. “The government is taking the situation very seriously, especially in view of the serious security situation that Sweden is in.”
As Sweden looks set to join NATO after Turkey approved its membership this week, officials have warned that the country could be subject to so-called hybrid attacks, including cyberattacks. Neighboring Finland, which joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last year, has said that a recent spate of asylum seekers crossing its borders is an example of a hybrid operation by Russia.
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Bohlin, who warned earlier this month that Swedes must be prepared for the risk of military conflict on their soil, declined to comment on the origins of the attack.
“We are in the early stages, so we cannot make assumptions, but these types of attacks are usually driven by either a financial motive, where a ransom is demanded, or a political motive, where a state,” he said. “We don’t know yet which of those applies to this attack.”
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How are government agencies affected by cyberattacks?
Cyberattacks can affect government services in many ways, as in the case of Sweden. First, they can paralyze the operation of services, disrupting the provision of essential services to citizens.
Second, cyberattacks can steal or leak sensitive data, such as citizens' personal information or confidential government information. This can lead to serious privacy and security breaches.
Third, cyberattacks can undermine public trust in government. If citizens perceive that the government cannot protect their data or its services, they may lose trust in the government and services .
Finally, cyberattacks can have significant economic impacts. The need to respond to attacks, restore services and data, and develop more secure systems can cost the government millions of euros.
Source: thestar
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