Contents FOREWORD 6 Estonia’s cybersecurity starts with you How can we tackle the record number of cyberattacks and security vulnerabilities we faced last year? Gert Auväärt, Deputy Director-General for Cybersecurity at RIA, explains. OVERVIEW OF 2024 8 14 16 18 Another record year we did not need No one expected 2024 to be a quiet year in cyberspace, but we also did not anticipate that the number of incidents with an impact would double from an already record-breaking level. 20 Ukraine war: cyberattacks move closer to the frontline On 19 November last year, 1,000 days passed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. The battle in cyberspace has lasted even longer. 24 SSSCIP chief: Russia operates more covertly in cyberspace We learn about the cyberattacks thwarted in 2024 through an interview with Brigadier General Oleksandr Potii, head of Ukraine’s State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP). 26 Photo: SSSCIP 28 4 32 Lessons from a massive data leak At the beginning of 2024, criminals breached the server of Allium UPI, stealing the data of hundreds of thousands of Estonians. Russian intelligence ramps up cyber pressure on Western countries Cyberattacks against Estonian state authorities in 2020 were attributed to Unit 29155 of Russia’s military intelligence (GRU). Phishers caught on the hook An international police operation shut down LabHost, a platform that provided services to phishing scammers, and the Estonian police played a key role in preparing the raid. DDoS attacks: more noise, less impact We registered an unprecedented number of distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS), but effective defence measures reduced the proportion of attacks with an impact. Fraudsters made off with millions Adding up the damage, we have to acknowledge once again that last year was highly profitable for scammers. Ransomware victims: schools and businesses Several companies, schools and even a dental clinic found their systems breached and data locked by attackers. CYBER SECURITY IN ESTONIA 2025