Hybrid warfare? A cyber attack paralyzed the construction of the longest tunnel under the Baltic Sea

The international consortium FLC, responsible for the construction of the tunnel under the Fehmarnbelt, fell victim to a serious cyber incident. As a result of the attack, employee identification cards stopped working and ships, cranes and platforms used for work at sea were immobilized. The situation has paralyzed a key stage of the investment, which is to connect Denmark with Germany.

According to Danish media, the attack led to a complete stoppage of work on the construction site. Employees cannot use access cards and specialized equipment does not work. Poles constitute a significant group of workers employed on site. The FLC consortium employs a total of 2.8 thousand people, representing companies from Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Suspicions of hybrid warfare

Representatives of the investor, Sund & Baelt, confirmed that a dialogue with the contractor regarding the situation is ongoing. For now, it is not known who is behind the attack or how long it will take to remove its effects.

The chairman of the Danish Digital Security Council, Henning Mortensen, does not rule out that the incident may be related to hybrid warfare. In recent weeks, Danish services have warned about possible cyberattacks from Russia and raised the threat level to "high".

Cybersecurity experts point out that the development of artificial intelligence makes it easier to carry out large-scale attacks at relatively low costs. The pace of change is so fast that many entities cannot keep up with eliminating security gaps, emphasizes Jacob Herbst, a digital security specialist.