This report aims to look at how Russia’s war in Ukraine has affected the work with IT security at Swedish municipalities, what actions have been taken, if any, and see if there has been an increase in attacks towards the municipalities’ networks. This was done by sending out a questionnaire to all of Sweden’s 290 municipalities via email with four questions regarding their IT security. 103 of Sweden’s municipalities responded to the email. Ten municipalities declined to participate in the report, which means that 32% (93) of Sweden’s municipalities participated in this survey. We chose to evaluate the Swedish municipalities and their preparedness in case of war for several reasons. They are a uniform group which we believed adhere to the same guidelines and regulations regarding cybersecurity, and the fact that they store and engage with critical and sensitive data about Sweden and its population, making them prime targets for attacks by foreign powers.

The results were presented anonymously and based on the voluntary responses of the municipalities. Answers were then compiled and sorted into the five main categories from the NIST framework for cybersecurity. The report concludes that Swedish municipalities have taken significant actions to protect their networks in response to Russia’s war and aggressions towards Ukraine. For example, 18 municipalities reported that they had trained their staff in some way, which was the most common measure, and 11 municipalities had implemented two-factor authentication. However, more can be done in terms of responding to threats and enhancing recovery plans and systems.

In summary, there seemed to be a lack of consensus on how municipalities should handle their own IT-security, as there was a high variation in the responses.

The follow-up questions revealed a significant increase in attacks towards the municipalities’ networks, with many considering their networks potential targets for future attacks from foreign powers.