Sweden Held To Ransom: 164 Councils Confirmed And More Paralysed After Cyber Strike

Ransomware hits Sweden:

A ransomware onslaught connected Swedish IT supplier Miljödata has paralysed up to 164 councils, 4 regions and different organisations, pinch constabulary and cybersecurity teams investigating aft hackers demanded 1.5 Bitcoin, astir 1.5 cardinal kronor (€128,000).

Sweden is still reeling coming aft a ransomware onslaught connected IT supplier Miljödata near councils, regions, universities and backstage firms successful integer paralysis.

Early reports suggested that astir 200 municipalities and location governments were caught up in nan hack. However, updated figures from Swedish authorities later confirmed that 164 municipalities and 4 regions were straight affected. When universities and backstage organisations that besides trust connected Miljödata are included, nan full rises to astir 250 clients.

The onslaught was detected connected Saturday August 23, but 164 municipalities and 4 regions are officially confirmed to person been hit. When different clients are included, up to 250 organisations are thought to beryllium affected.

Systems successful meltdown

Miljödata provides HR systems that support Sweden’s nationalist assemblage running. Those systems are either stiff aliases limping along. In Halland, sick-leave and workplace wounded platforms stay down. As reported successful nan Sweden Herald, Gotland admitted four captious systems are still offline, covering everything from aesculapian certificates to rehabilitation plans.

“Region Gotland is 1 of galore regions and municipalities that are affected,” said HR Director Lotta Israelsson, confirming nan island’s services stay disrupted and that officials were successful “continuous interaction pinch nan supplier.”

Citizens connected edge

Some regions person warned that individual information whitethorn person been compromised, though nan grade of nan breach is still unknown. Authorities are investigating whether delicate files were exfiltrated aliases simply locked up.

Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said nan authorities was “in adjacent interaction pinch nan applicable authorities.” The country’s nationalist cybersecurity centre and CERT-SE are starring nan method response, while constabulary officers prosecute nan criminals behind nan hack.

A bargain-bin ransom, costly chaos

The attackers demanded conscionable 1.5 Bitcoin, astir 1.5 cardinal kronor (€128,000). That comparatively mini fig suggests this was not nan activity of 1 of nan world’s heavyweight ransomware gangs but alternatively a smaller group that landed an outsized punch.

Still, nan fallout is colossal. “The onslaught successful Sweden shows nan reality that for cyber criminals, targeting proviso concatenation vulnerabilities is 1 of nan astir effective levers to cause disruption astatine scale,” said Andrew Lintell of Claroty, speaking to IT Pro.

“Due to nan cascading effect of proviso concatenation attacks, threat actors tin origin wide harm affecting businesses and their customers each astatine once.” Juhan Lepassaar, Executive Director of nan EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA).

Why this matters beyond Sweden

Ransomware is not conscionable a Swedish headache. Across Europe, attacks person spiked. According to nan EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), ‘ransomware has been, erstwhile again, 1 of nan premier threats during nan charismatic reporting period, pinch respective precocious floor plan and highly publicised incidents.’

Public institutions are peculiarly susceptible because they often trust connected older systems and tight budgets that time off small room for precocious cyber defences. Criminals cognize that councils and hospitals cannot spend downtime, making them soft targets for extortion. Analysts pass that unless governments harden their proviso chains, each EU personnel authorities could look nan aforesaid benignant of paralysis Sweden is enduring today.

Déjà vu for Sweden

This was not nan first clip Sweden was hit. In 2024, IT elephantine Tietoevry was crippled by a akin strike, again targeting HR systems.

The instruction is chilling. One breach astatine a single supplier tin nonstop shockwaves done an full nation. Sweden’s cyber nightmare is acold from over, and officials admit the afloat damage whitethorn not beryllium known for weeks.

The increasing threat of cyber attacks crossed Europe

In today’s Europe, nan battlefield is nary longer conscionable fought pinch tanks and troops but pinch keyboards and code. Cyber attacks tin frost hospitals, unopen down councils and expose backstage information successful a azygous strike, leaving millions vulnerable. Experts pass that a lone criminal group pinch a laptop tin now origin chaos erstwhile reserved for authorities armies, proving that integer warfare has go 1 of nan top threats facing modern Europe.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 says that proviso concatenation vulnerabilities are still nan apical consequence facing large organisations, pinch 54 per cent citing them arsenic their biggest cyber barrier.

What it intends for you

• How safe is Europe’s nationalist information if 1 supplier tin bring full regions to a standstill?
• Should councils and governments spend much on cyber defence, moreover if it intends higher taxes?
• If hackers tin frost hospitals and HR systems today, what’s stopping them targeting powerfulness grids aliases carrier tomorrow?
• Why are ransom demands sometimes truthful mini – are amateurs getting fortunate or are cyber gangs testing nan waters?
• Is Sweden conscionable the informing shot, pinch nan remainder of Europe adjacent successful statement for a cyber ambush?

Stay alert, enactment informed

Cyber crime is nary longer a distant threat, it is happening present and now, paralysing full countries. Follow nan Euro Weekly News for nan latest updates connected Sweden’s ransomware situation and what it intends for Europe’s integer security. Dive into our Swedish News successful English conception now.

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