“The list of the most potent states includes North Korea and Iran,” said a presentative from PST, who asked to remain anonymous. He gave a presentation at Security Talks – a digital security conference – in Kristiansand recently.
“Cyberattacks on the Norwegian parliament in 2019 and 2021 had ties to Russia and China. Attacks are performed both directly from the state or by use of proxy,” said the PST representative.
The purpose of the foreign states is primarily to steal information, create insecurity or benefit economically from their digital wrongdoings.
More than 60 people from various companies in Agder attended Security Talks 2024 to gain insight into the fast-evolving world of cyber security.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF INCIDENTS
The largest IT department in the Agder region belongs to the Norwegian Tax Administration, which employs 350 people in Grimstad. Øyvind Haugmoen provided insight in to how they handle 40,000 security incidents every year.
Mikael Witt, a Swedish IT security consultant with extensive experience from building efficient security operation centers shared his knowledge from previous clients, including H&M. He was skeptical to the use of artificial intelligence for IT security purposes.
“So far, AI is more interesting for the bad guys,” said Witt.
GOING PARAGLIDING
With all the pitfalls that accompany an increasingly digital society, Jørgen Dyrhaug, Senior Advisor at The Norwegian National Security Authority, half-jokingly concluded that it was “a very, very bad idea to give common people access to an online computer!”
“It is too complex for people to fully understand. We have little knowledge about how it works, and still, we have limitless functionality. It is like going paragliding without any training,” said Dyrhaug.
Security Talks 2024 was organized by Digin, GCE NODE, Eyde Cluster, Maritime Forum South, Noroff, and NFEA.
