SVT Faces Significant Overload Attacks, Acknowledges Impact

On Sunday evening, Swedish Television (SVT) experienced severe overload attacks that resulted in disruptions to both the SVT Play website and app, as well as the news site. Technical issues persisted into Monday morning, affecting access to both platforms.

According to SVT's press representative, the problems have since been resolved. The continued attacks on Monday morning had only a minimal impact on viewership, as communicated through an official correspondence.

An overload attack, commonly referred to as a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack, occurs when numerous computers simultaneously inundate a website or server with requests, overwhelming its capacity and causing it to cease functioning.

SVT's press representative described these attacks on society as deeply regrettable, noting that the perpetrators remain unidentified. Fortunately, the disturbances did not affect live television broadcasts or the organization's ability to disseminate critical public messages.

In response to inquiries about whether there could be a connection between the recent attacks and the technical difficulties SVT has faced this spring, no comment was provided.

SVT's Chief Technology Officer stated that this was the most significant attack the organization has ever encountered, with incoming traffic reported from various countries as part of a coordinated assault. Investigations into the incident are being conducted in collaboration with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.

Sveriges Radio's Chief Technology Officer indicated that their systems are distinct from SVT's and have not faced any recent attacks. However, they are maintaining heightened vigilance due to the current global climate.

Lina Hallmer, Chief Technology Officer for Bonnier News, confirmed that their platforms have also been targeted by overload attacks recently, including an incident that affected the Expressen website last week. Hallmer explained that while such attacks are common against major websites, they usually do not cause permanent damage due to the robust infrastructure designed to absorb traffic spikes. However, there are instances when the volume of traffic becomes overwhelming or attackers discover new methods to exploit vulnerabilities, resulting in temporary outages.

Despite the impact on website accessibility, Hallmer reassured that the sites are not permanently damaged but rather face temporary disruptions. She described these attacks as relatively simplistic and noted that they rarely lead to long-lasting issues.

When asked about the potential for recurring perpetrators behind such attacks, Hallmer mentioned that there are strong suspicions of groups aiming to disrupt operations. In some cases, attackers leave identifiable traces. However, due to the common nature of these methods, it is not typically the work of a single threat actor but rather a widespread tactic employed by various entities.