The Russian hacker group Killnet attacked Norway on Wednesday morning.
The reason why the Russian hackers paralyzed a number of public websites and services in Norway is that the Norwegian authorities have stopped freight transport from Russia to Barentsburg on Svalbard, at the Storskog border crossing.
It stated one of the hackers himself, in an interview with Dagbladet yesterday.
Dagbladet can now reveal that there was contact between the Norwegian and Russian authorities about the case the day before:
- Tuesday morning at 09.15 an e-mail was sent with the reasons for the Norwegian refusal to Russia.
- It was less than a day before at 03:00 on Wednesday night Norwegian time began to circulate messages on the channel of the hacker group Killnet on the message service Telegram.
- A few hours after Arbeidstilsynet and BankID’s websites were taken down, at 09:00 on Wednesday morning, Norway’s ambassador became a little before 2 pm on Wednesday called in on the carpet in Russia for formal correction of the case.
The hacker attack was also dealt with at the highest political level in Norway. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was himself out and informed about the attack on Wednesday afternoon, side by side with the National Security Authority.
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Dagbladet has no information that Killnet is subject to Russian authorities. But investigations Dagbladet has made of previous computer attacks in Norway – against Hurtigruten and Amedia – has highlighted the gray areas between criminals and the authorities in Russia.
The email reveals
Dagbladet has had access to the correspondence between Norway and Russia which deals with food deliveries via Storskog.
“Attached is a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs together with a Russian translation of the letter sent by e-mail to the director general of Trust Arktikugol, Aleksandr Veselov.”
Stein-Magne Wiik, Russian interpreter and adviser to the Governor of Svalbard, wrote this in an e-mail Dagbladet has had access to. The e-mail was sent on Tuesday morning, and contained a justification for Norway’s refusal to Russia.
THE ATTACKERS: Dagbladet has been in contact with an account associated with Killnet. He says they had no contact with Russian authorities before the attack.
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Wiik confirms to Dagbladet that he sent the e-mail to Director General Aleksandr Veselov in Trust Arktikugol on Tuesday 28 June.
Dagbladet has been in contact with an account associated with Killnet. He says they had no contact with Russian authorities before the attack.
– Killnet planned this himself, the hacker tells Dagbladet.
New message: – Stop the attack
The inquiry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs Dagbladet that they have only received one specific application for a permit to transport goods going to Barentsburg. This was rejected on 15 June.
The sanctions, which came into force on 8 May, do not allow the Russians to transport the goods themselves from Storskog to Tromsø, where they will be transported on to Svalbard by boat.
There are thus two alternatives for transporting this goods to Barentsburg: The Russians can transport it by boat directly from Russia to Svalbard, as Svalbard is exempt from the sanctions, or they can use a non-Russian carrier on the stage between Storskog and Tromsø.
– Must be prepared
On 25 May this year, Aleksandr Veselov, Director General of Trust Arktikugol, sent an inquiry to the Governor of Svalbard, requesting “assistance in obtaining permission from central Norwegian authorities that Russian transport companies will be able to transport goods to Trust Arktikugol through the Storskog border to harbor in Tromsø ».
Seven tons of food
In the correspondence, Veselov informs that the sanctions do not ensure the readiness of the Russian settlement in emergency situations.
“The trust supplies the following cargoes from Russia to Russian settlements: food, industrial goods, medicines, spare parts and equipment for the operation of the mine and thermal power plant in Barentsburg, spare parts for vessels, cars and other equipment necessary for the operation of the infrastructure,” writes Veselov.
Hacker to Dagbladet: – We planned the attack
The usual delivery route is from Murmansk, through Storskog, to the port of Tromsø and then on to Svalbard with Norwegian carriers.
– One of the alternatives, which is to deliver the goods directly by sea from the port of Murmansk to Barentsburg, does not ensure the necessary regularity of deliveries, primarily of food, they write.
The cargo that is now being discussed was stopped at Storskog on 30 April. The trust writes in the letter that two containers, with a total weight of 20 tonnes – of which seven tonnes of food, are stuck at Storskog.
In its reply to Trust Arktikugol, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes that the sanction provision states strict and specific conditions, and that the threshold for granting permission is high.
– No one suffers distress
The Governor of Svalbard, Lars Fause, told Dagbladet on Wednesday that he has been in dialogue with the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Management.
– It will not be right for me to comment on the computer attack, it is a national matter, he says to Dagbladet.
Russia with Norway requirements
He himself became aware of the hacker attack via the media. Fause says that the Governor was in contact with the Consulate General on Friday, where there was contact at management level with the Consulate General.
In addition, the Governor had an ordinary office day in Barentsburg on Friday.
– My responsibility for social security and emergency preparedness applies to everyone, including Barentsburg. There is no one here on the island who will suffer any hardship, he says.
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– Unacceptable
The Russian embassy in Oslo refers to a press release from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and says that Norway’s ambassador to Russia, Solveig Rossebø, was summoned for talks on Tuesday.
– It was explained to her that the situation where the Norwegian side blocks the delivery of cargo to Spitsbergen, is unacceptable, the embassy writes in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
REFUSES: The Russian embassy in Oslo says they have not been in contact with Killnet. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
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– It has been demanded that the Norwegian side solve this question as soon as possible. It has been pointed out that unfriendly actions against Russia will inevitably lead to similar measures, they continue.
Dagbladet has asked questions about why they do not choose to transport the containers in a way that is still accepted, but this is not answered.
The Russians also accuse Norway of violating the Svalbard Treaty by stopping shipments to Barentsburg. On Thursday, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt will respond to the allegations.
– Norway does not violate the Svalbard Treaty. The shipment that was stopped at the Norwegian-Russian border has been stopped on the basis of the sanctions that prohibit Russian road transport companies from transporting goods on Norwegian territory, she writes in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
At the same time, she points out that the Russian mining company is free to find other solutions, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also signaled its willingness to consider a dispensation from the flight ban.
– The inhabitants have access to food and medicine. It is not Norwegian policy to try to force Russian companies or citizens away from Svalbard, or to put obstacles in the way of the business that takes place in accordance with Norwegian laws and regulations. At the same time, Norway’s necessary reaction to Russia’s war in Ukraine can also have practical consequences for Russian companies on Svalbard, as in Norway in general, says Huitfeldt.
– Can not find us in it
Regarding the actual data attack, the embassy writes that “we do not think it is appropriate to comment on the actions of unidentified persons who have no relationship with the Russian authorities”.
– At the same time, we would like to remind you that from 2018, the National Coordination Center for Data Incidents will be responsible for international cooperation in the event of data incidents. The information about the method of interaction with Russian responsible agencies was communicated to the Norwegian side several times, but the Norwegian authorities refused to establish professional contacts, the embassy writes.
Dagbladet has presented the embassy’s alleged co-operation proposal to the National Security Authority.
They write the following in an email:
– We have not had contact with the Russian authorities.
Dagbladet has tried to get in touch with the Consulate General in Barentsburg and the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness repeatedly, without the inquiries being answered.
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