Break-ins to water supply plants do not impact security of supply

Early in the summer, attempted and successful break-ins to water supply plants have raised questions about the security of the water supply arrangement. The National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) has not elevated its preparedness level due to the break-ins, and the incidents will not affect security of supply.

Various authorities in Finland are cooperating with companies that are critical to security of supply to form a situational picture and safeguard critical services and facilities. That said, every organisation is responsible for securing its own infrastructure. The recent events have not led the NESA to elevate its level of preparedness, but the cooperation with various other operators has been increased even further. The NESA elevated the level of preparedness earlier when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine and in October 2023 when there was a break in the Balticconnector gas pipeline.

Water supply operators are well prepared to react to various local disturbances that are typically connected to pipe breakages and electrical outages, for example. Operations in the event of disturbances are also rehearsed regularly on a local, regional and national level. The preparedness of water supply plants for disturbances is monitored by the ELY Centre of South Savo, to which the ELY Centre tasks laid down in the Water Services Act have been centralised.

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, Finnish companies that are critical to the security of supply have been urged to update the protection of their critical sites to match the developments in the security situation. Any observations or suspicions of relevant crimes or attempts to affect infrastructure must be primarily reported to the police. Notifications to other competent authorities are submitted through the following channels:

Cyber incidents: https://www.kyberturvallisuuskeskus.fi/en/report

Finnish Security and Intelligence Service: https://turvaviesti.supo.fi/ota-yhteytta

Crimes: https://poliisi.fi/en/report-a-crime

Åland police: https://polisen.ax/brott/gor-en-brottsanmalan

Alongside companies, it is also important for households to prepare for possible disturbances. A person needs about two litres of drinking water each day. In addition to this, water is required for cooking and hygiene. Every home should have this amount of water stored for at least three days. Read more about the 72-hour preparedness recommendation: https://72tuntia.fi/en/water/

Field-specific cyber maturity analysis (2022, in Finnish)

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