In a new cybersecurity incident, the Norwegian government has disclosed a data breach.
The Norway ministry data breach is a significant blow to the administration as twelve government ministries fell victim to a vicious cyber-attack.
The ministry of local government and regional development has acknowledged the data breach on Monday, Reuters reported.
The Norway ministry data breach was first detected on July 12, when unusual traffic patterns on one of the government’s supplier platforms raised red flags.
The authorities immediately initiated an investigation, and the breach was confirmed and contained the breach.
Norway ministry data breach explained
Accordinf to Erik Hope, head of the agency responsible for providing services to the ministries, addressed the Norway Ministry data breach in a press conference.
He mentioned that a vulnerability in the supplier’s platform was identified and promptly addressed to prevent further damage.
However, details about the specific nature of the Norway Ministry data breach were not disclosed as the investigation was ongoing.
“We identified a weakness in the platform of one of our suppliers. That weakness has now been shut,” said Erik Hope in a news conference.
The impact and the identity of the perpetrators remain uncertain at this stage. The police are investigating the case, and cybersecurity experts are working to understand the full ramifications of the Norway Ministry data breach.
In a wave of recent cyber incidents, Norway is grappling with the aftermath of not one but two major attacks this year. The first was a data breach in the Norway Ministry, which came to light just today, exposing sensitive information to potential threat actors on the dark web.
Adding to their woes, a recent ransomware attack struck the heart of the Norwegian shipping services industry.
The attack, which hit approximately 70 companies and impacted over 1,000 ships, targeted Oslo-based DNV, a renowned ship classification firm. Although the ship’s operational capabilities were unaffected, the full extent of the cyber attack caused remains undisclosed.
Norway ministry data breach: List of recent data breaches
In a separate incident in June of this year, Norway experienced another blow as a malicious distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack wreaked havoc on public and private websites.
It was later attributed to pro-Russian hacker group Killnet.
The severity of the attack was such that Norway had to take the precautionary measure of suspending its online services for several hours to mitigate the impact and address the security breach.
The Norwegian National Security Authority, tasked with handling such cyber threats, revealed that a criminal pro-Russian group was likely responsible for both attacks.
This revelation fueled concerns about the broader political implications for Europe and raised eyebrows over the country’s involvement in the current regional situation.
The Norway Cyber Security Market is projected to achieve a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.5% by 2028.
The rise in internet penetration across Norway is anticipated to drive the adoption of cybersecurity solutions.
Moreover, the expansion of wireless networks to accommodate mobile devices has resulted in increased data vulnerability.
As the nation works tirelessly to fortify its digital defenses and combat cyber threats, incidents like the Norway Ministry data breach are a reminder that 2023 is probably the worst year for businesses, governments, and society.
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