We should protect ourselves against serious cyber threats

As a digital frontrunner, Denmark is extremely vulnerable to the growing cyber threats that we see examples of every day. A new report maps specific threats and presents recommendations based on experiences from both Denmark and Ukraine.

A stray drone at Copenhagen Airport, flooding in the Port of Køge, or a six-kilometre traffic jam on the Great Belt Bridge due to a breakdown in the payment system. The incidents are many – and also very different. Common to them all, however, is that they arise unexpectedly, occur ever closer to us, and create insecurity when they strike.

A new report from ITU, SDU and DBI (the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology) highlights significant digital vulnerabilities in Denmark and presents recommendations on how to strengthen Danish cyber emergency preparedness. The report, titled ’Optimising Denmark’s Cyber Emergency Preparedness – A socio-technical analysis based on experiences from Denmark and Ukraine’, is funded by the National Defence Technology Center (NFC).

– We live in a time with many different types of threats. Since it is difficult to address them all, we chose to focus on cybersecurity in the report, explains Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno, Principal Consultant for Societal Security, Resilience & Defence and co-author of the report.

– Denmark’s digital infrastructure is among the most advanced in the world. Unfortunately, this makes us particularly vulnerable to disruptions, cyber espionage, cybercrime, and cyber activism. We currently experience cyberattacks every single day, but if telecommunications are affected, all sectors are impacted – including the critical ones such as healthcare, energy, transport, and finance, says Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno.

Communication is crucial

According to the Danish Agency for Societal Security, the threat landscape within the telecommunications sector has increased significantly in recent years. For this reason, strengthening cyber preparedness is more important than ever, for both authorities, businesses, and individual citizens.

– If our power or water supply fails, it is obviously extremely critical. But if we lose the ability to communicate with one another, everything comes to a standstill. Telecommunications are therefore one of the most important resources to protect in a highly digitalised society, says Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno, adding:

– In addition, the ability to coordinate efforts and make agreements on how to handle the situation is essential during a crisis. That capability is closely linked to the ability to communicate.

Experiences from Denmark and Ukraine

The choice to include experiences from both Denmark and Ukraine in the report is due to the fact that it can be difficult to get people to share information about their vulnerabilities and insufficient security measures.

– Very few people want to talk about disorder in their systems or chaos during a critical incident. Therefore, we had to ask people who were willing to share – and at the same time had relevant experiences that could give us in Denmark something to reflect upon, says Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno.

The report is based on interviews with 29 individuals from Denmark and Ukraine representing telecommunications, healthcare, transportation, industry, academia, and public authorities.

– Denmark is not at war like Ukraine, but we can learn a great deal from the hard-won experiences that Ukraine has gained. Failures in telecommunications have proven to be the single greatest challenge during the war in Ukraine. More of our interviewees reported, for example, episodes of cancelled surgeries or delayed medical assistance that had fatal consequences because communication systems were not functioning, says Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno.

Plans are forgotten during crises

The work on the report also revealed that emergency preparedness and business continuity plans developed by companies and authorities before a crisis are rarely followed in practice once a crisis occurs.

– When a crisis suddenly strikes, there is simply no time to consult plans, because action must be taken immediately. However, our analyses show that the plans still have great value because the process of preparing them and conducting ongoing training creates experience that can be useful during a crisis, says Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno.

Recommendations for different target groups

Furthermore, the report presents a number of recommendations aimed at authorities, businesses, and telecommunications providers.

– Danish authorities already have alternative communication channels that can be used in case of telecommunications failure in Denmark. Therefore, their focus should now be on protecting critical infrastructure and the products and systems that support society’s vital functions and national security, says Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno, continuing:

– There is also a need to create a culture in which authorities set the framework for societal resilience measures, while responsibility, to a geater extent, lies with the individual citizen. In Denmark, the population has great confidence that authorities are in control of the situation and will step in during a crisis. This means many people neglect to take personal responsibility for their own safety and resilience, as citizens in Finland, and to some extent also Norway and Sweden, are much better at.

Sectors are interdependent

The next step is to map further critical sectors and the interdependencies that exist between them.

– As part of Resilience Center Denmark, DBI will initially focus on water, energy, the pharmaceutical industry, and telecommunications. The work will include identifying alternative communication channels for authorities, businesses, and private citizens, as well as developing guidelines to help the population during crisis situations, says Jorge Ivan Contreras-Cardeno, adding:

– There is plenty to address. The need for resilience and robustness is steadily increasing and affects all parts of our society.

Download the report: Optimising Denmark’s Cyber Emergency Preparedness

Optimising Denmark’s Cyber Emergency Preparedness

The report ’Optimising Denmark’s Cyber Emergency Preparedness – A socio-technical analysis based on experiences from Denmark and Ukraine’ is funded by the National Defence Technology Center (NFC) and conducted in collaboration between ITU, SDU, and DBI. It examines Denmark’s preparedness to defend against cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, with a particular focus on telecommunications.

Based on 29 interviews with Danish and Ukrainian stakeholders, the report demonstrates how cyberattacks on telecom systems can disrupt essential societal functions and trigger cascading effects across sectors such as healthcare. Drawing on lessons from Ukraine, the project identifies key cyber threats, systemic vulnerabilities, and the need for multi-layered zero trust strategies, strong organisational practices, and cross-sector collaboration.

Resilience Center Denmark

Resilience Center Denmark is a national collaboration between the Alexandra Institute, Bioneer, DBI, DFM, DHI, FORCE Technology, and the Danish Technological Institute. The center is supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research’s performance contract funds with an annual grant during the period 2025-2028.

The publication ’Optimising Denmark’s Cyber Emergency Preparedness’ is produced as part of the work of Resilience Center Denmark, whose mission is to strengthen Denmark’s technological capacity and societal preparedness. The report is created by ITU, SDU, and DBI and supports Resilience Center Denmark’s goal of developing knowledge and technologies that enhance national resilience.