Information on denial-of-service attacks

Denial-of-service attacks are usually targeted at websites and online services. An attack is carried out by overloading a website offering services, for instance, by sending large amounts of traffic simultaneously from multiple sources.

Denial-of-service attacks often use technology to make services unavailable by overloading them with a massive amount of traffic. When a service is overloaded with excessive traffic, it slows down.

Smart household appliances can be used to launch denial-of-service attacks, since appliances that are not updated and are protected with weak passwords are easier to hack.

Denial-of-service attacks have recently increased significantly in Finland and across the Nordics. Some of these attacks have been so massive and persistent that they are suspected to have been organised attacks.

Banking is safe during a denial-of-service attack

It is important to keep in mind that denial-of-service attacks do not compromise the security of our services but only affect the availability of the services. Attacks aim to cause harm and inconvenience to the users by generating excessive amounts of traffic to a website to prevent the intended use of the website. They do not compromise the security of our services.

We are constantly developing the defence mechanisms we use to prevent denial-of-service attacks. Our banking services are safe, whether you use our self-service channels or want to log in to other online services.

DoS and DDoS attacks – what’s the difference?

Denial-of-service attacks are commonly referred to using the abbreviations DoS or DDoS. Both are denial-of-service attacks, but the difference lies in the number of devices used.

  • A DoS (denial-of-service) attack originates from a single device connected to the internet and the attack is carried out using purpose-built software.
  • A DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack originates from several devices connected to the internet, such as smart household appliances infected with malicious software.

Frequently asked questions