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This is the first time Norway has taken a hard line against the Russian authorities in this way. Russia says the accusations are unfounded.
Norwegian authorities are now coming out and saying they believe Russia was behind TI’s extensive attack on the Storting in September.
They base the accusation on analyzes carried out by the security and intelligence services, which are still investigating the attack.
– This is a very serious incident, says Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide at a press conference.
He notes that this is the first time they have come out and attributed a cyber attack to an actor in this way. And he says that this is a clear message for the Russian authorities.
SERIOUS: Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide met with the media outside the Foreign Ministry. Photo: Hanna Hjardar, VG
– The fact that we go out in public with an attribution that we had not done before. It is the first time that we do it now for an attack of this type on the cyber domain, says the Chancellor.
In diplomatic jargon, attributions are the location of blame.
– We do this as a strong and unequivocal reaction, says Søreide.
– Why are you going out now, when you haven’t done it before in similar cases?
– It is primarily because it affects the Storting, which is our most important democratic institution. It is very serious and that is why we say it clearly.
Russia: unfounded accusations
Russian authorities will speak on Monday night. The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, says the following in a statement to the Tass news agency:
– As always, the accusations are made without worrying about the evidence and any discussion of the facts at the expert level, says Konstantin Kosachev.
Kosatsev also notes that an employee of the Federation Council was arrested in Norway and placed in pre-trial detention before the allegations turned out to be unfounded, but that Norway did not apologize.
STRONG ACCUSATIONS: Here, Foreign Minister Søreide and Prime Minister Erna Solberg met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 9, 2019. Now the Russian authorities are accusing them of piracy. Photo: MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV / Sputnik
VG has been unable to obtain a comment from the Russian embassy.
– We must make it clear that we do not accept such incidents, says Søreide.
The computer attack on the Storting
- When? At the end of August, the Storting administration became aware of unauthorized logins to various email accounts.
- WHO? A small number of people in the Storting are affected, both politicians and employees, from the Labor, Conservative, Social Democratic and Liberal parties.
- What could they have accessed? According to the Storting, they may have obtained information such as account numbers, social security numbers and banking information. They may also have had access to information on itineraries, contact details, and arrangements to process political affairs. Some email accounts also contain medical information, such as possible allergies. However, the Storting has not found that classified information can be misleading.
– How sure are you that Russia is behind this?
– The information base that we have, which is based on analyzes and compilations made by our security and intelligence services and is very clear, responds the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
SUMMIT: Ine Eriksen Søreide, Erna Solberg and Vladimir Putin toasted when they met in St. Petersburg on April 9, 2019. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev / Sputnik / AFP
Based on analysis
The foreign minister says they base their accusations against Russia on analyzes that are “clear.” But I will not go into what these analyzes really are.
PST will not comment on the investigation and says they will only draw conclusions when it is finished. In other words, they don’t want to target Russia, like the government does.
– Investigation and attribution have two different purposes. The investigation is going in its own direction and we are not going to comment on that, but based on the information that our services have analyzed, this is attributed to Russia, says the foreign minister.
– We want to maintain a continuous pragmatic relationship with Russia, but also be clear that we must say no when it comes to attacks that affect our most important democratic institution, says Søreide.
– Does this incident link to other similar incidents in the public and in private companies?
– The PST and the security service have been warning against such incidents for several years. We know this is happening and that it may affect more people. State attacks are a growing problem, Søreide responds.
– Russia does not skimp on funds
CONCERNED: The representative of the Storting, Hårek Elvenes (H), believes that Norway must step up its defense against threats aimed at destabilizing our democracy. Photo: Fredrik Solstad
Defense policy spokesman Hårek Elvenes of the Conservative Party, believes Norway should equip defense against this type of threat:
– Russia is sparing no funds in its political war against the West, nor regrettably against Norway. We must intensify our defense against hybrid threats, which aim to destabilize our democracy. There is no longer a sharp distinction between social security and state security, he tells VG.
