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Russia-Linked Hackers Open “Cyberwar” on Norway Over Support for Ukraine
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A pro-Russian hacker group has claimed responsibility for a series of cyberattacks targeting Norwegian government digital infrastructure, saying the campaign was launched in response to Norway’s military and financial support for Ukraine.
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According to The Independent Barents Observer on August 26, the group, known as Server Killers, said it had declared “cyberwar” on Norway and claimed responsibility for a large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against systems operated by the Norwegian Digitalisation Directorate, or Digdir.
The attacks began during the night of August 24 and continued for at least three days, affecting around ten government services at different points, The Independent Barents Observer reported, citing Norwegian broadcaster TV 2.
Among the affected platforms were ID-porten and MinID, which are used for electronic identification, the Altinn government services portal, and digital postal services.
Digdir said its core systems remained operational and that most users were not experiencing significant disruption. The agency also stressed that a DDoS attack does not necessarily involve unauthorized access to internal systems. Norwegian authorities had found no evidence that users’ personal information had been compromised.
Server Killers said on its Telegram channel that the campaign was linked to Norway’s continued support for Ukraine, specifically pointing to a new defense and security cooperation agreement signed by Oslo and Kyiv on August 23.
The group also referenced Norway’s plans to continue providing financial assistance to Ukraine. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre previously announced that the Norwegian government intended to allocate NOK 85 billion (about $9.1 billion) in aid to Ukraine in its 2027 budget, although the budget has not yet been adopted.
Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service, Kripos, has opened an investigation into the attacks. The Norwegian Police Security Service, or PST, told TV 2 that it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with other government agencies.
Server Killers has operated since 2023 and has previously claimed responsibility for cyberattacks against targets in Denmark, the United Kingdom, Romania, and Canada.
The group has also been associated with the better-known pro-Russian hacking collective NoName057(16). According to cybersecurity company ZeroFox, Server Killers and NoName057(16) previously conducted coordinated DDoS attacks against Spanish government websites.
The cyberattacks come amid heightened tensions along Norway’s border with Russia. Earlier in August, Metropolitan Mitrofan of Murmansk, a senior Russian Orthodox Church official who supports Russia’s war against Ukraine, brought military priests and Russian war veterans to a church directly on the Norwegian border.
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