Estonia: The First Digitally Literate Country
In response to a 2007 Russian cyberattack, the Estonian government made cybersecurity education and the expansion of digital services national priorities.
One spring night in Tallinn, Estonians that were part of the country’s Russian ethnic minority started protesting against the national government in the city’s central business district. It was 2007, and Russian President Vladimir Putin was upset with NATO. Estonia, a former Soviet state that regained its independence in 1991, joined NATO in 2004. The protests seemed to be a random occurrence, a small, Pro-Putin gathering. That was the theory for a moment— until sites and digital infrastructure belonging to the Estonian government, newspapers, broadcasters, and banks went dark hours later.
When the Estonians started investigating the attack, they reached out to Russian authorities for assistance. The Russians refused to provide the Estonian government with any information. The investigation team concluded that Russia was likely involved in the offense.
The April 27th cyberattack was the first recognized attempt by Russia to infiltrate another country’s information systems. At the time, it was also considered the largest and most sophisticated cyber warfare…
