A significant part of Finnish assets are tied up in properties, such as forests and land. A property means a land or water area, such as a plot of land. The National Land Survey and 67 municipalities maintain the Land Information System, which contains information on approximately 2.85 million properties.
Researchers from the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI) studied the kind of damage that a cyberattack on property data could cause. The results of the study are available in the recently published report Kybervahingot maahan ja kiinteistöihin liittyvien rekisterien ja tietojärjestelmien tapauksessa.
The report highlights three pillars of preparedness: proactive prevention of cyber damage, communication strategy on disruptions, and alternatives for sharing information.
“Unfortunately, there are examples in Europe where a cyberattack on property data has paralysed many functions of society for extended periods. Our new study sheds light on what kind of effects could happen in Finland in a similar situation and what we need to prepare for,” says Karolina Itäinen, a researcher with the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute FGI.
The National Land Survey and the municipalities have continuously developed the property data system, and this study is one way to anticipate future developments.
“Our job is to contribute to securing the functioning of Finnish society now and in the future. One proactive measure that we have identified is the development of the property data set,” says Deputy Director General Irma Lähetkangas from the National Land Survey of Finland.
A cyberattack could halt property sales and prevent the use of property data
Property data plays a significant role in the functioning of the property and housing markets. According to the report, a cyberattack on property data would cause financial and reputational damage to finance and banking operations. If a cyberattack were to prevent access to reliable property and apartment information, it would make banks suspend granting of loans for the duration of the disturbance. This would damage real estate agencies, among others.
The damage of a cyberattack would also extend to other sectors of society. Especially if prolonged, the damage would expand further. In the energy sector, the lack of access to property data would halt construction projects, delay forest management in the forestry sector, and stop the sale of forest properties. The impact would also be prominent for national defence, the municipalities, the legal system, tax administration and licensing authorities. Surprisingly, the prolonged unavailability of property data could also cause waste management to halt.
This recently published study is part of the National Land Survey’s activities to safeguard ownership information and plan for contingencies. The NLS also develops digital security and incident expertise by actively participating in joint inter-authority exercises.
Link to the report (in finnish)
http://hdl.handle.net/10138/627828
Additional information
Irma Lähetkangas, Deputy Director General, +358 40 834 0970, firstname.lastname@nls.fi
Karolina Itäinen, researcher, +358 50 320 2992, firstname.lastname@nls.fi