Mai Kraft, head of RIA's Cyber Security Center, told "Aktuaalne kaamera" there is currently no evidence that artificial intelligence (AI) was used in, nor are

Is there reason to suspect AI was involved in this attack?

This morning, Selver notified RIA about cyberattacks targeting its refrigeration system, but as of now we have no information indicating that the attack was caused by AI.

This is part of a major wave of attacks that we have seen across Europe. What characterizes this attack – was it simply a so-called random security vulnerability that was exploited, or is there reason to suspect some kind of larger malicious plan?

The main factor in these attacks is that devices with security vulnerabilities are visible on the internet, and attackers maliciously exploit them. The motives behind the present attacks are currently unknown.

How many other stores in Estonia have been attacked – there was talk that at least two other stores were known to have been hit?

RIA received one notification from Selver today. We have not heard of any other incidents today.

What actually bars a similar attack from being carried out against, for example, a hospital or a heating system?

Such attacks are likely to be carried out when unsecured systems are visible on the internet and companies and institutions have not made effort to level up their cybersecurity

How many vulnerable devices are actually connected to the network in Estonia – we are not talking about hundreds, but rather hundreds of thousands, aren't we?

If we are talking specifically about refrigeration control systems, we have identified fewer than ten of them today. If we speak a little more broadly about how many vulnerable devices there are in Estonia's cyberspace overall, then according to RIA, there are more than 30,000.

What other attacks have targeted our information systems recently?

We are seeing a variety of types of cyberattacks, most frequently denial-of-service attacks against Estonian information systems. At the same time, all the various scams and phishing campaigns remain widespread, and in addition, we have observed quite a few incidents involving the compromising of websites over the summer.

You say that we have more than 30,000 devices with security vulnerabilities. In what areas are these devices, and which sectors in Estonia are in a vulnerable state?

This figure incorporates the whole of Estonia's cyberspace and includes private individuals and companies alike. Exactly which sectors are affected is currently being analyzed.

Background:

Monday's cyber attack hit one branch of supermarket Selver in Estonia, with hackers accessing a computer controlling refrigeration and changing a freezer setting to 50 degrees above zero. The incident was responded to promptly.

Similar attacks were reported on Monday in Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg. This followed incidents in France and the Netherlands last month where supermarket refrigeration systems were also interfered with. In the case of Sweden, spoiled produce had to be disposed of.

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