Pro-Russian Hacker Group Claims Major Cyberattack on Norway's Digital Services
A pro-Russian hacker group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that has impacted multiple Norwegian government digital services over the past three days. The attack, which started on Monday, was described by Are Kvistad, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Digitalization Agency (Digdir), as the largest assault the agency has ever encountered. The cyberattack involved denial-of-service tactics, overwhelming the agency's systems with traffic to disrupt services, including a platform that allows citizens to use a single login for various public services. Despite the attack, Kvistad noted that the agency managed to keep services operational for the most part.
In a Telegram post reported by Norwegian media, the hacker group known as Server Killers declared cyber war on Norway, citing the country's renewed security cooperation with Ukraine as a catalyst for their actions. This cooperation was highlighted by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during a visit to Kyiv, where he announced a commitment of 85 billion Norwegian crowns (approximately 9.2 billion US dollars) to Ukraine from the upcoming state budget, continuing support for the country amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Norwegian officials have not publicly commented on the hackers' claims at this time. The situation has heightened concerns across Europe, where nations are on alert due to increased Russian cyber activities since the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Experts believe these attacks aim to undermine support for Ukraine and create discord within European societies.
In previous incidents, Norwegian authorities have linked Russian hackers to suspected sabotage, including an event in 2025 where hackers accessed a dam's control system. Additionally, Danish officials have attributed cyberattacks on their infrastructure to Russian-backed groups, indicating a broader pattern of cyber threats emanating from pro-Russian entities in the region. Reports suggest that Server Killers have been associated with prior cyberattacks in Norway and other European nations, raising alarms about the ongoing risks posed by state-sponsored hacking activities.
