Cyberattacks Target Nordic Utility Fortum

By Anne Kauranen and Essi Lehto

HELSINKI (Reuters) – Nordic utility Fortum faces cyberattacks daily in Finland and Sweden, with occasional sightings of drones and suspicious individuals near its sites, according to CEO Markus Rauramo, who has requested investigations from authorities.

Both Finland and Sweden's security services haven't commented on specific incidents but reported an increase in malicious activities from Russia in recent years.

Following their NATO membership, Finland and Sweden have strained relations with Russia, which reacted to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Rauramo noted, "There are different kinds of cyberattack attempts… against us daily… and drones and suspicious movement around our assets."

Fortum operates hydro, wind, solar, nuclear, and combined heat and power (CHP) plants, and has implemented measures like strict access control and drills with authorities to mitigate cyber threats. Security Chief Jari Stenius observed an uptick in incidents but stated their operational impact remains minimal.

Finland's National Bureau of Investigation is looking into incidents near critical infrastructure, while intelligence agencies from Finland and Sweden categorize Russia as the main security threat. NATO warns that hostile activities, including cyberattacks, are increasing from Russia, which denies any wrongdoing. Russia has retaliated against Finland for joining NATO by seizing Fortum's assets worth $1.9 billion due to EU sanctions.