In view of China’s growing foreign and trade policy interests in Europe, the Chinese intelligence has shifted its focus on gathering information on Norwegian technology and decision-making processes. Recently, the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS), the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) and the National Security Authority (NSM) presented their public threat and risk assessments for 2022.
The assessment states that several countries’ intelligence services are including Chinese and Russian operating on Norwegian soil.In the National Threat Assessment for 2022, the PST presented a review of the threats related to intelligence, sabotage, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and extremism that Norwegian society will face this year.
The threat assessment report made special reference to targeting of Norwegian high tech/ advanced companies by overseas agencies.The assessment report specially mentioned the tradecrafts and strategy used by Chinese intelligence for operations against Norwegian computer networks and theft of military technology and strategic acquisitions. According to the PST of late Chinese computer network operations are increasingly focusing on political issues in Norway.
This marks a change from earlier when operations were more geared towards technology companies. The threat assessments set out an overall situation that is both complex and unpredictable. Oslo’s competitive industrial sector and business expertise are of interest to Chinese intelligence agencies.
Odd Roger Enoksen, Minister of Defence of Norway said that since, “we live in one of the world’s most digitalized societies, it makes us vulnerable”.The report intended for the general public to create awareness of serious security threats facing Norway and to provide important preventive measures.
It tries to give a signal to Norwegian business and industry and Norwegian specialist groups that they will experience covert attempts on the part of actors involved in military modernization and armament tangentially referring to China and Russia. The Norwegian services believe that the defense, emergency preparedness, policy formulation and technology will be particularly vulnerable to actors associated with Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan.Computer network operations have become an integral part of the activities of foreign intelligence services.
The cyber attacks on the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) in 2020 and 2021 are examples of extremely serious incidents. NSM has observed a tripling of serious cyber incidents aimed at public- and private-sector undertakings in Norway. Some of these incidents were carried out by hostile actors operating on behalf of foreign states. In 2021, such actors succeeded in infiltrating networks belonging to the Norwegian authorities and private enterprises.
It is likely that hostile Chinese cyber actors have been tasked with identifying Norwegian politicians and others who criticize China.The increased external intelligence operative in Norway is being observed for quite some time. In its investigation of a computer attack on several county governor offices in 2018, the PST had evidence indicating APT31, a cyber-espionage group operating on behalf of China was behind the operation.
The PST said the same group also hacked Norwegian cloud service provider Visma AG in the summer of 2018. In a February 2019 report, cyber-security firms Rapid7 and Recorded Future attributed the Visma hack to Chinese hacking group APT10. APT31 is also the same group that Finnish officials accused of hacking the internal IT systems of its Parliament in the fall of 2020.The steep increase in ransom ware in recent years illustrates that the potential damage to the health services, the police, fuel supplies and the food supply can be wreaked by digital sabotage.
In the digital age, such threats would increase further as emerging China tries to scale up the power ladder in the geo-political order. China would target Norway as it is a technologically advanced country and getting classified info would help the Chinese companies to be part of high-tech value chain. As China looks up to Europe for increased trade and investment engagement Norwegian data regarding business policies and strategies would be of great help to China in economic diplomacy and maneuver.