Welcome To NATO - Finland’s Parliament Attacked

Finland’s parliament came under cyber attack, simultaneous with the country's legislature  voting  for NATO membership following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Experts have warned that Russia could intensify attacks on Finland's Nordic neighbour, Sweden, which has also applied for NATO membership.

Finland, along with Sweden, applied for NATO membership in May, a move prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

It seems highly that both countries will experience a wave of small-scale and unsophisticated types of cyber-attacks, including distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDos) and website defacement, in common with Montenegro and other NATO members.

The Finnish parliament said on Twitter that a denial-of-service attack hit the parliament’s external websites. 
“A denial-of-service attack is directed against the Parliament’s external websites. The Parliament takes steps to limit the attack together with service providers and the Cybersecurity Center,” the Finnish Parliament said in a statement. “The Parliament takes steps to limit the attack together with service providers and the Cybersecurity Center.” The parliament subsequently announced on Twitter that the website returned to normal. 

The attack against the parliament occurred the same day US President Biden signed Finland and Sweden’s into NATO. Biden’s signature makes the US the 23rd NATO country out of 30 member states to approve the two Nordic countries’ admission to the alliance. The US Senate voted 95-1 to approve the resolution, with every member of the Democratic caucus and most Republicans voting in support.

The US President called the move a “watershed moment” for the transatlantic alliance, adding that the decision to incorporate Finland and Sweden into NATO is “for the greater security stability … of the world.

Following Sweden’s decision to join NATO, the Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson explained her concerns regarding possible cyber hacking by Russia. “There could be the possibility of cyber attacks, hybrid attacks and other measures, but it’s all up to them,” she said, adding that the decision to join NATO is what is best for her country’s security. 

Parliament of Finland:    The Hill:     El Arabiya:     Cyware:     Defence Talk:   Cybernews:    

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