A large number of central authorities have been hit by overload attacks during the week. The attacks are so-called DDOS attacks which are harmless to the authorities’ operations, but which prevent visits to their websites.
On Telegram, a pro-Russian group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. The group, which has over 40,000 followers, accuses Sweden of having “intensified the confrontation with Russia” by expelling five Russian diplomats. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the diplomats are intelligence officers and were expelled after the Mission Review documentary series “Shadow War”.
Nord Stream investigation
On Telegram, the group also points to the Swedish investigation into sabotage against the Nord Stream as a reason.
The security police do not want to comment on the case, but state in a comment:
“The security police know that a number of overload attacks have been carried out against Swedish institutions. Further information about our intelligence situation or how the Security Police works with this type of matter is not something we are in a position to go into further.”
The Tax Agency describes the attack as unusually advanced and persistent, and in a press release it is stated that the attackers used “various methods”. The attack lasted for six hours and reportedly caused the site to become slow and difficult to access.
– We played cat and mouse. We took action and they adjusted their attacks. It was new to us that they were so persistent, says Peder Sjölander at the Swedish Tax Agency to TT.
The Riksdag was down
Kammarkollegiet states in a press release that two of their subsites were affected after the supplier Sitevision Control was exposed to a DDoS attack.
The Armed Forces have also been exposed, but the attack did not lead to any impact, it is stated:
“The armed forces, like other authorities and organizations, are continuously exposed to attempts and attacks, our protection is strong and there has been no major impact on us,” writes the defense’s communications department.
The Riksdag’s website was also compromised earlier this week and could not be accessed. The Riksdag’s press spokesperson confirms the attack but does not want to comment further.