Iceland’s foreign ministry withholds telecom details over cyber risks

Iceland’s Foreign Ministry will not identify the manufacturers of the mobile and data communications systems it uses, citing national security and cybersecurity risks, mbl.is reports.

Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir said in a written response to a question from Independence Party MP Njáll Trausti Friðbertsson that the ministry and its diplomatic missions use various mobile and data transmission systems. Some of their work takes place abroad, where security arrangements require particular care.

The ministry is bound by strict confidentiality obligations concerning the nature and design of its communications systems, particularly because of its international commitments in security and defence, the minister said.

Disclosing which systems or versions are in use could help attackers identify vulnerabilities and exploit them before systems are protected or updated. It could also enable targeted phishing by allowing attackers to convincingly imitate systems and suppliers familiar to staff, she said.

The minister said such information should therefore be shared only with people who need it for their work.