“Even the best information technology systems and the most competent cyber security teams cannot completely prevent all attacks,” emphasizes Toomas Vaks, RIA’s Director of Cyber Security and Head of Cyber Security Branch. “Security depends on the user as much as it does on the technology professionals. Any current threat only highlights the need for comprehensive defence that requires effort from everyone.”
The report outlines the broad spectrum of cyber threats ranging from foreign meddling in a country’s processes to cyber crime and reliance of essential services on digital solutions and infrastructure. The current international security situation has led to increased activity of government-backed players, including foreign special services, in cyberspace. The report includes a case of attacks methods and malware characteristic to the APT28 grouping being found on a corporate network in Estonia.
In the foreword to the assessment, Toomas Vaks reflects on the long-term implications of the large-scale cyber incidents Estonian banks, media and government experienced ten years ago. The impact of the events, he argues, has gone far beyond what anyone foresaw at the time. The politically motivated distributed denial of service attacks, coordinated at an unprecedented level, triggered an international discussion on the effects of cyber attacks on national security and future of warfare. Most importantly, though, these events were an early warning to all nations on how events in the digital domain influence our everyday way of life.
RIA’s 2017 Annual Cyber Security Assessment includes statistics and examples of incidents in Estonian cyberspace. Additionally, the report offers a number of recommendations for improving the cyber security for both individual users and organisations. The report is now available in English.
