Pro-Russian Hackers Claim Major Cyberattack on Norway's Public Services
Pro-Russian hackers claim a three-day cyberattack on Norway's public digital services, calling it 'cyber war' after Oslo's Ukraine support.
A pro-Russian hacker group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that has disrupted multiple Norwegian government digital services since Monday, according to officials.
The Norwegian Digitalization Agency (Digdir), which oversees the country's public digital infrastructure, confirmed the ongoing attack. Spokesperson Are Kvistad described it as "the biggest attack against Digdir solutions that we have ever experienced."
The denial-of-service assault involved flooding the agency's systems with massive traffic to block services, including a single-login portal used across various public services. Despite the pressure, Kvistad said the agency managed to keep services running "practically all the time."
In a Telegram post widely reported by Norwegian media, the group Server Killers claimed responsibility and declared "cyber war" on Norway, citing the country's renewed security cooperation with Ukraine on August 23.
The claim comes after Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced on Sunday that Norway would provide 85 billion Norwegian crowns ($9.2 billion) to Ukraine from next year's state budget, marking the third consecutive year of such support. The two countries also agreed to deepen cooperation on drone technology and modern warfare.
Norwegian officials had not commented on the hackers' claim by publication time.
The attack is part of a broader pattern of Russian-linked cyber and sabotage activities across Europe since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Officials say such actions aim to undermine support for Ukraine, spread fear and discord, and strain investigative resources.
In 2025, Norwegian authorities linked Russian hackers to suspected sabotage at a dam, where attackers accessed a remote control system and opened a valve to increase water flow. Danish authorities have also blamed Russia for cyberattacks on infrastructure and websites, including a "destructive attack" on a water utility in 2024 and attacks on websites ahead of the 2025 local elections.
Norwegian media have reported that Server Killers has been linked, directly or indirectly, to previous cyberattacks in Norway and other European countries.