Russia poses a major cyber security threat to the European Union and
NATO, a report by the Estonian Information Board, released on Wednesday,
said.
"In cyberspace, Russia is the source of the
greatest threat to Estonia, the European Union and NATO. Estonia is a
target of hostile cyber acts both as an individual country, and as a
member of the EU and NATO. Russia is actively adding to its cyber-attack
capacity and has a wide range of tools and resources necessary
for carrying out attacks," the report, titled "International Security
and Estonia," said.
The Information Board, which is Estonia's foreign security service
and intelligence agency, alleged that Russia employs attacks involving
denial-of-service, malware and security vulnerabilities to wage an
information war against the European Union and NATO. Russia employs
hackers and cyber activists to manipulate social media, the press and
thus public opinion to enforce its geopolitical power, the report said.
The report also alleged Russian to be waging a "hybrid war" in Ukraine,
disrupting information and other infrastructure to ferment
dissatisfaction with the government and legitimize anti-government
militia groups.
The report comes just a day after a meeting between US Secretary
of State John Kerry and Estonian Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand. The
meeting focused on the situation in Ukraine and current European
security issues, as well as the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, the
situation in Syria, energy and cyber security, according to Kaljurand.
Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence
in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia,
including Estonia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a
pretext for the move.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns over NATO's military buildup
along its western borders, warning that the alliance's expansion
undermines regional and global security.