STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT  paign against ‘repression’ carried out by the latter in the form of a series of arson attacks led to a significant increase in acts of violence. The high level of aggression against security forces, which has been apparent for some years now, has been manifesting itself with increasing frequency. ▪▪ Where proliferation is concerned, terrorist groups are showing interest in obtaining expertise on weapons of mass destruction, especially chemical weapons. The threat is moving closer to Switzerland, as North Korea became the latest state to acquire the means to threaten Switzerland with nuclear weapons in 2017. The nuclear agreement with Iran still stands, although it is under severe pressure from the USA. ▪▪ Information of political, economic and mili­ tary relevance continues to be gathered by means of illegal intelligence. In addition, intelligence services are conducting active operations against their countries' own nationals abroad. Traditional methods go hand in hand with activities in cyberspace – the various forms of illegal intelligence do not compete in any way, rather they complement each other. Access which has been sought and found for the purpose of information gathering can also be used to inflict damage on a state. Acts of sabotage against industrial control systems, which are currently still rare, illustrate this potential. Intelligence service activity and information gained through this play a role in influence operations, with Russia as a prominent actor. 8 SI TUATIO N R E P O RT 2018 | F I S