A new strategy for cyber defense and information security has been presented by Danish Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen, Innovation Minister Sophie Løhde and Industry Minister Brian Mikkelsen, the Berlingske newspaper reported.
The overall goal of the strategy is to step up the protection of authorities, businesses and individuals from cyberattacks. According to the strategy involving 25 concrete initiatives building on the Defense Agreement 2018-2023, the Danish government will invest a total of DKK 1.5 billion ($240 million) to bolster the country's cyber defense and information security.
According to the Danish government, six sectors are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. It concerns the energy sector, transport, telecommunications, finance, health and maritime traffic.
"The threat of hackers and IT criminals targeting citizens, businesses and authorities has moved very close and the digital attacks are becoming more and increasingly advanced. With this strategy, we will strengthen our ability to defend society from cyberattacks," Innovation Minister Sophie Løhde said.
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Defense Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen has called the strategy a natural extension of the Defense Agreement prioritizing the area of cyber security. He also reiterated his previous claim that Russia and cybercriminals were the biggest threat.
Danmark er udsat for en alvorlig cybertrussel. Forsvarsministeren gav sit syn på trusselsbilledet ved præsentationen af regeringens cyberstrategi #dkpol #dkdigi #forsvar Læs de 25 initiativer i strategien https://t.co/3GQ9uPPHNz pic.twitter.com/XLYgImn94f
— Regeringen (@regeringDK) May 15, 2018
Industry Minister Brian Mikkelsen has stressed the importance of never being caught off guard for the sake of protection of businesses. According to Mikkelsen, the strategy is crucial for increasing productivity, thus securing the foundation of Danes' common prosperity.
Part of the strategy involves a 24-hour national cybercrime center, which will be responsible for monitoring of the most vital of digital networks and IT systems and notifying the authorities about ongoing and potential threats.
Another feature of the strategy is to boost Danes' knowledge of how to protect themselves from digital attacks. Accordingly, more emphasis will be placed on cybersecurity training in all stages of the Danish education system, ranging from primary school to university.
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Meanwhile, a recent survey of Danish businesses and organizations carried out by the Danish Society of Engineers' IT subsidiary IDA-it has found that one in eight attempted cyberattacks is successful. Two out of three businesses admitted having been on the receiving end of cyberattacks within last year.
A recent evaluation by the Center for Cyber Security, a subdivision of Denmark's national police security agency PET, described the threat against Denmark from cyber espionage and cybercrime as "very serious" in its annual evaluation published on Monday.
According to PET, a serious threat comes from foreign states and criminal networks that carry out online attacks in an attempt to access state secrets or personal data. PET stressed that only around a third of cyberattacks are reported to the authorities.
