The targets of the attacks included the websites eesti.ee, id.ee, politsei.ee, vm.ee, and president.ee, among others, and attempts were also made to disturb the functioning of the websites of other organisations associated with the state.
According to Tõnu Tammer, head of CERT-EE, the attackers attempted to use the DDoS attacks to make the websites crash and thereby cause inconveniences. ‘Those attacks and attempted attacks had little effect – they caused short-term interruptions in the accessibility of some portals. It is likely that the attackers wished to demonstrate how they will be able to disturb the people here during the Locked Shields international cyber training. The effect of the current attacks was insignificant, though,’ said Tammer.
He added that RIA will continue to communicate with its partners and monitor the situation and is prepared to respond to cyber incidents, if needed. ‘Estonia’s unique reputation as an e-country, our strong foreign policy opinions, and the clear disapproval of the Russian war make us a target for cyber attackers. We have taken this into consideration and are always prepared to respond to incidents,’ said Tammer. RIA will continue to analyse cyber attacks and will provide fresh information to the partners and the public based on the conclusions drawn, if needed.
The supplementary budget just approved by the Government will allow RIA to implement measures to diffuse DDoS attacks which will reduce the effect of such DDoS attacks on the websites of public authorities.
