The National Cyber Security Centre Finland’s weekly review – 13/2024

What happens to abandoned domain names? – Recycle yours securely

Every year, the NCSC-FI receives reports of expired .fi domain names being re-registered by parties other than the original domain name holder and, in some cases, the corresponding websites being re-opened, but this time being full of suspicious advertisements. The number of .fi domain names that have expired since the start of 2023 alone is over 30,000. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency has published a guide on secure domain name management  (External link).

There are also numerous internet archiving systems available online that allow users to see what different websites used to look like. For example, the website of the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (now known as the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom) used to look like this almost exactly 10 years ago  (External link). 

We have also published articles on how the decommissioning of outgoing services must be carried out carefully  (External link)and how you should not leave domain names open to attackers (the latter is only available in Finnish)  (External link).

Sign up for the Hack the Networks hackathon!

In 2019, Traficom organised the world’s first open 5G Cyber Security Hack event. In 2021, a second hackathon was organised as a virtual event in the middle of the pandemic. Now the story continues with Hack the Networks 2024, which will take over Otaniemi in Espoo on 17–18 May 2024.

Hack the Networks 2024 will focus of the cyber security and critical use cases of private 5G networks. New technologies offer flexible, fast and secure connections, but also introduce new attack vectors. Identifying potential vulnerabilities is crucial before private 5G networks are widely adopted in critical sectors, such as in factories, power plants, airports, ports and hospitals.

Traficom’s previous hackathons brought together top talent from both Finland and around the world. This latest event will once again provide hackers with a unique opportunity to work on use cases that will be widely utilised in industries critical to security of supply and to promote the cyber security of Finnish society in the future.

Participating teams will compete for rewards on three different challenges. Two of the challenges have already been published, with the third set to be published soon. Assemble your team and sign up now!

https://hackthenetworks.fi/en (External link)

Welcome to the ‘Kyberala murroksessa’ seminar on 11 April 2024

The second part of the ‘Kyberala murroksessa’ seminar series will be held on Thursday 11 April at 8:30–12:30. The event will focus on exploring what kinds of challenges and opportunities artificial intelligence presents for cyber security.

The topic will be approached from the perspective of authorities, companies and research. Featured speakers include the CEO of the Finnish Information Security Cluster Peter Sund, who will be going over the EU Artificial Intelligence Act from the perspective of security and responsibility, and Professor Laura Ruotsalainen from the University of Helsinki, who will be talking about how AI can be utilised to protect satellite navigation.

Read more about the programme and sign up (in Finnish)  (External link)!

The webinar series examines changes in the cyber security industry and is jointly organised by NCSC-FI, the National Emergency Supply Agency and the Finnish Information Security Cluster. 

Recently reported scams

In this summary, we provide information about scams reported to the NCSC-FI during the past week.ista.