A new screening step will intercept messages from Russian domains before delivery to Estonian state addresses, raising questions about privacy and administrative delays.
In Estonia, starting August 31, an additional verification of emails received by government institutions from email addresses with Russian domains (.ru) will be introduced.
According to a statement by the press service of the Ministry of Justice and Digital Technologies of Estonia, emails with .ru domains will no longer be delivered directly to recipients, but will be forwarded for further verification.
By decision of the head of the agency Liisa Pakosta, such emails that arrive through servers located in Russia will subsequently be checked by a security system to reduce cyber threats and data leaks.
“The reason for this decision was the constant growth in the number of emails from adres.ru that contain real cyber threats”
– Liisa Pakosta
“Estonia cannot allow the exchange of information between residents and state institutions, which often contains very delicate and personal data, to pass through servers controlled by an aggressor state”
– Liisa Pakosta
According to official data, maintaining open channels of direct interaction between citizens and government bodies is considered a significant security risk. The new regime is intended to reduce cyber risks and protect citizens’ private data, including avoiding exchanges through the Russian technical space that does not adhere to similar protection standards.
The significance of the new measure for Estonia’s cybersecurity
The introduced measure is aimed at increasing the level of protection of the public sector and private data of citizens by modernizing email flows and verifications, reducing the risk of information leaks and malicious attacks.