Oslo — Norway's National Security Authority (NSM) has issued a stark warning: the number of successful cyberattacks against Norwegian organisations has tripled in the last six months. In a report released on Tuesday, the agency, which coordinates counter-espionage and hybrid threat responses, said the country's defence industry and space sector are especially vulnerable.
“This also applies to critical infrastructure and service providers to organisations that are important to national security,” the NSM said in its assessment. The agency has never before made such a public evaluation, a decision its director, Arne Christian Haugstøyl, said was necessary to bolster resilience across the country.
“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,” Haugstøyl said.
Rising hybrid threats across Europe
The warning comes amid growing concern across the continent about suspected Russian hybrid attacks, including cyber operations. In August, Norwegian media reported that a Russian hacker group had declared war on Norway and claimed responsibility for a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that disrupted several government digital services. While the NSM did not name a specific actor in its latest report, it noted that businesses and organisations are increasingly facing reconnaissance, ransomware, and DDoS attacks.
This development is part of a broader pattern. Germany recently arrested a Ukrainian national suspected of spying for Russia, highlighting the reach of such operations. The NSM's report underscores the need for heightened vigilance across the Nordic region and the wider European Union.
AI as a force multiplier
The NSM also highlighted the growing threat posed by artificial intelligence, which it described as 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 echoes warnings from other parts of the world. Australia has warned that AI is supercharging cyberattacks on critical systems, a concern that resonates with European security experts. The NSM's report suggests that Norwegian organisations must adapt to this new reality, where automated tools can probe defences around the clock.
For Norway, a country with significant oil and gas infrastructure, a growing space industry, and a strategic position in NATO's northern flank, the stakes are high. The NSM's decision to go public with its findings signals a shift towards greater transparency, in the hope that awareness will translate into action.
“The threat picture is serious, and we need to act now,” Haugstøyl said. The agency is urging companies and public bodies to review their security protocols, invest in threat detection, and prepare for the possibility of disruptive attacks.
As Europe grapples with a volatile security environment, Norway's experience serves as a reminder that cyber threats are no longer abstract. They are a daily reality, and the tools to counter them must evolve just as quickly as the threats themselves.
