Cyber-attacks in Estonia: Finland observes from a distance

NATO sent experts to Estonia immediately

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Finland has so far been a distant observer of the recent denial-of-service (DoS) attacks launched against Estonia's computer networks. Neither the Finnish Ministry of Defence nor the Defence Forces have been in contact with their Estonian counterparts over the Internet attacks.
      Finland has been following the events in Estonia through the media and through the Certi-FI system of national data security authorities, who have worked to prevent such attacks in this country.
      "It was not so interesting from the point of view of Finnish military defence that the matter would have been examined through anything other than Certi", explains Ilkka Korkiamäki of the command systems section of the Defence Staff.
     
Finland will learn more about Estonia's Internet attacks on Tuesday when Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies meets his Estonian colleague Jaak Aaviksoo in Tallinn.
      Häkämies says that the situation in Estonia is interesting from Finland's point of view as well.
      "These kinds of things [new types of threats] have now become real", Häkämies says.
     
The attacks grabbed the attention and interest of NATO immediately. Two experts from the alliance were sent to Estonia to acquaint themselves with what had happened there. "Today Estonia, tomorrow, someplace else", said NATO spokesman Robert Pszczel in the New York Times.
     
Finland itself got a stark reminder of the existence of Internet attacks in mid-May when the web pages of the Finnish Broadcasting Company were targeted by a concerted denial-of-service attack. The kind of extensive attack that was inflicted on Estonia would be possible in Finland as well.
      Defence Minister Häkämies says that Finland is quite well prepared for similar threats.
      "There is no immediate situation here. I would claim that our preparedness is at a good level", Häkämies says.
      Aaviskoo points out that new kinds of security threats, such as Internet attacks, can be dealt with through international cooperation. According to Aaviskoo, the attacks are to be taken up during a meeting of NATO ministers of defence in mid-June.
      "It has become even clearer than before that cyberspace has no borders."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Virtual harassment, but for real (8.5.2007)
  Widespread DoS attacks paralyse public broadcaster´s website (16.5.2007)

Links:
  Arbor Networks
  CERT-FI

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