Finland to Re-assess and Develop National Cyber Security

Finland’s Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense have set up a project to assess the capacity of authorities to ensure national cyber security, prevent cybercrime, implement cyber defense and respond to rapidly evolving situations that threaten the cyber security of society.

The project will assess the current operating conditions of the authorities in serious situations that endanger national cyber security and identify the key development needs. If necessary, a proposal will be drawn up for a new operating model that, in addition to correctly timed and high-level decision-making, will enable effective proactive action and response as well as possible counter-measures. The exchange of information and cooperation between the authorities will also be assessed. When necessary, the project group will issue proposals for legislative amendments.

“The digital transformation of society is happening fast and we are increasingly dependent on well-functioning information networks and systems. Cyber threats have increased and become more diverse. They also blur the distinction between internal and external security on the one hand and, on the other, between civilian and military threats. National and international threat environments are constantly evolving, and we as authorities must keep up,” says Petri Knape, Director of the National Security Unit at the Ministry of the Interior.

This project is based on the Government Resolution on the Cyber Security Development Programme issued on 10 June 2021 and the Government reports on foreign and security policy, internal security and defence policy. The project’s measures will be coordinated with other cyber security development projects and the preparation of the Security Strategy for Society. To carry out the assessment, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence set up a project group which will be active from 1 March 2022 to 31 January 2023.