A pro-Russian hacker group has taken responsibility for a cyberattack that has impaired various digital services belonging to the Norwegian government over the last three days. The attack, classified as a denial-of-service assault, commenced on Monday and targeted systems operated by the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency, the entity responsible for managing digital public services in Norway.

The hacker group, known as Server Killers, announced via Telegram on Wednesday that it had initiated a cyber war against Norway following the country’s decision to renew its security collaboration with Ukraine on August 23. As of the time of publication, Norwegian officials had not issued a statement regarding this claim.

Are Kvistad, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Digitalisation Agency, informed The Associated Press that the cyberattack was still ongoing. Kvistad described the incident as “the biggest attack against Digdir solutions that we have ever experienced.”

Nature and Impact of the Attack

The cyberattack involved overwhelming the agency’s systems with excessive traffic, effectively blocking access to numerous services. Among the services affected is a platform that enables citizens to log in with a single credential across various public services. Despite the severity of the assault, Kvistad stated that the agency had managed to maintain service availability “practically all the time.”

This incident came shortly after Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, during a visit to Kyiv on Sunday, declared that Norway would allocate 85 billion Norwegian crowns (approximately $9.2 billion) from the state budget for the next year to support Ukraine for the third consecutive year. The two nations have also committed to enhancing collaboration on drone technology as well as other modern warfare strategies.

Amidst the ongoing conflict, European nations are on high alert as Russian activities—including sabotage and hostile operations—have intensified since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Officials believe such attacks are intended to undermine support for Ukraine, instil fear and division within European societies, and deplete investigative resources.

Historical Context of Cyber Threats from Russia

In 2024 and 2025, Danish authorities attributed cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and websites in their country to Russian groups. In particular, the pro-Russian group Z-Pentest was blamed for a “destructive attack” targeting a water utility firm in 2024, while another group, NoName057(16), was said to have launched a cyberattack on various Danish websites ahead of local elections in 2025. Both groups were reportedly linked to the Russian state.

Reports from Norwegian media indicate that the Server Killers group has previous connections to earlier cyberattacks affecting Norway and other European nations. The recent assault on digital services in Norway has heightened concerns over the potential cyber threats linked to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and their implications for public systems across Europe.

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