TALLINN (Sputnik) — 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 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.
