According to Norwegian authorities, a cyberattack momentarily took offline public and private websites in Norway in the last 24 hours.

As per Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stre, the attack has not caused any serious harm. According to the Norwegian National Security Authority, the distributed-denial-of-service (DDOS) attack targeted a secure national data network, causing the temporary suspension of internet services for many hours. 

According to NSM chief Sofie Nystrm, the attacks appear to be the work of a criminal pro-Russian gang. She went on to say that the attacks "create the sense that we are a piece in Europe's present political crisis." 

So according to Norwegian media, the country's ambassador to Moscow was called to the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday for a protest about Russian supplies being denied transit via Norway to an Arctic Russian coal-mining settlement. 

The hamlet of Barentsburg is located in the Svalbard archipelago, some 800 kilometres (500 miles) north of the Norwegian mainland. Because of the war in Ukraine, the European Union has imposed restrictions on a number of Russian commodities. 

Norway is not a member of the EU, although it follows its policies on most issues. Norway has sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago by a 1920 treaty, but other signatory countries have the right to use its natural resources. 

The cyberattack on Norway occurred two days after a similar attack briefly shut down official and private websites in Lithuania, with a pro-Moscow hacking group claiming responsibility. That event occurred just a week after Russian authorities warned of retaliation because Lithuania blocked the transit of steel and ferrous metals sanctioned by the EU via its territory to Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad.