Swedish public broadcaster SVT has been targeted by a record-breaking DDoS attack, causing major disruptions to its website and mobile app for several hours between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. This is the third distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack against SVT in as many days, and the most severe to date.
Disruptions to digital services
The attack, described by SVT’s technical director Adde Granberg as both the “longest” and of “unprecedented magnitude,” severely affected users’ access to digital news content. Linear TV broadcasts and emergency alerts (VMA) were not impacted. According to SVT, the source of the traffic is distributed across multiple countries, but the perpetrator remains unknown.
Similar DDoS incidents were also reported this week at other Swedish institutions, including Arbetsförmedlingen (the Public Employment Service). The attacks come amid growing concern about Sweden’s cyber resilience.
Government: “Sweden is under attack”
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson responded by stating that “Sweden is under attack” in light of a wave of cyber incidents targeting critical services. Speaking to journalists in the Riksdag, Kristersson emphasised that these attacks are not isolated.
“We are constantly subjected to large-scale cyberattacks,” he said, noting that banks and digital ID systems such as Bank-ID have also been affected in recent weeks. While not naming any state actor, Kristersson referenced earlier assessments by the Swedish Security Service (Säpo), which point to Russia, China and Iran as systematically engaged in such activities.
Sweden security and digital vulnerability
SVT’s CEO Anne Lagercrantz has previously warned that Sweden’s digital infrastructure remains a national-level vulnerability. In response to the latest events, SVT confirmed that the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is assisting with the investigation and cybersecurity support.
Granberg dismissed any notion that the attack was a prank: “This is not a childish stunt against Swedish Television. It is part of something larger aimed at creating a sense of chaos and loss of control in Sweden.”
The wave of attacks highlights the increasing importance of cyber defence in public institutions, as Sweden continues to invest in securing its digital sovereignty amid an increasingly hostile cyber environment.
