Finnish authorities and businesses prepare for large-scale disruptions in TIETO24 exercise

Finnish authorities and businesses are currently training for a potential large-scale disruption that could shake society. The TIETO24 readiness exercise includes Swedish authorities as observers this year, sharing insights about their operational practices. Antti Nyqvist, the head of the exercise, describes it as a role-playing game where businesses operate as miniature societies.

“In layman’s terms, it’s a role-playing game where the business sector incorporates imaginary companies, while authorities such as the police, the military, and the Cybersecurity Centre play their actual roles. Everyone must collaborate and consider how to exchange information effectively,” Nyqvist explains.

He emphasizes that the exercise does not simulate a state of war but rather disturbances in normal conditions caused by hybrid influences, cyberattacks, and denial-of-service attacks. The roots of this exercise can be traced back to military communication drills from the 1970s, during which the military recognized its dependency on stable connections to the outside world. Initially focused on maintaining these connections during emergencies, the drills expanded to include businesses.

Currently, 170 out of the 184 participating organizations are companies providing various services to society, particularly in the ICT, security, and media sectors. This year’s theme centers on the energy sector and its import dependencies.

“We examine energy production and its resulting dependencies: how connections and commodities are generated if there are disruptions in energy production, and what that means for societal functions,” Nyqvist clarifies.

Since 2018, the Finnish National Emergency Supply Agency has coordinated the exercise. Yle plays a key role in producing news based on the exercise’s fictitious scenarios, enabling other participants to develop a comprehensive understanding of the situation. The exercise also includes unreliable news sources to challenge teams to critique their sources amid an information flood. Each organization gathers information and evaluates it before passing it along, emphasizing the importance of understanding how this information chain operates and its impact on businesses reliant on services, like electricity.