Estonia is so afraid of Russian hackers that they’re taking the unprecedented step of creating a data center in the UK, effectively building the world’s first cyber embassy.
The Estonian government has every reason to be afraid, too. Russia actively uses hacking and cyberwarfare on countries it’s angry at. In 2008, for example, Russian hackers attempted to scramble the internet infrastructure of Georgia along with the actual shelling and other warfare. Estonia is particularly high on Russia’s no-no list thanks to their decision to join the European Union and enter NATO along with several other Soviet satellite republics, a fact that clearly displeases Russia.
Estonia is particularly vulnerable because it’s wholeheartedly embraced digital technology. Estonia is a pioneer in online voting for national elections and has streamlined their tax system to function largely online. They’re worried Russia will try to delete all their records, as part of an invasion, so all the paperwork and other matters that makes up the Estonian government is being backed up at a data center in the UK.
It’s an unprecedented move, but this might just be the start. As cyber warfare becomes more commonplace, wholesale destruction of information might become a common goal for invading countries to destabilize governments and invalidate legitimate claims to everything from land to resources. In the future, many embassies might exist as a server, instead of a building.
(via The Financial Times)
