It is worth taking care of digital maintenance reliability.
Every Finn should be prepared for situations where digital services are not available or there are problems with them. The Digital and Population Information Agency’s panel went through various examples, which can be helpful for many, for example, in preparing for possible power outages in winter. The panel was part of the ongoing Digital Security Week.
Information security manager of grid company Fingrid Jyrki Pennanen compares digital maintenance reliability with the traditional 72-hour maintenance reliability of the home, i.e. at least three days should last without electrical equipment and services.
– At home, a lot revolves around digital, such as devices, but above all services. If the services are not in use, you should think about how to prepare for it, Pennanen says.
All the panelists highlighted the role of the electricity network when talking about digital security of supply. Jeni Suhonen The Marttaliito raised the question of how long society will remain under control if the electricity grid is down, even if electrical equipment is not necessary for a healthy person.
Pennanen brought up the fact that electricity supply to homes will only be limited in extreme cases.
– There is no digitization without electricity. If the electricity grid is lost, we will go as long as there is backup power, Pennanen stated.
– However, the last straw is that household electricity is starting to be limited. It’s an extreme situation.
When network problems occur, access to electronic services can be difficult. OP’s financial and cybercrime expert Hanna Hovi highlighted electronic means of identification in particular. If they don’t work, you can’t access the services of the authorities, for example, and it becomes very difficult to manage official affairs.
Kimmo Ulkuniemi Regarding the police’s fight against cybercrime, he again wondered how long citizens should be able to survive without services and smart devices.
– Digital devices dominate people’s lives and have even become dependent on them. Are the services vital and how long do you have to survive without services and equipment – it is difficult to define, Ulkuniemi thought.
– We have become so dependent on digital services that when we cannot access Facebook, send messages or make calls, it can lead to panic.
Practice emergency situations with a digital fast
It is good to be prepared for exceptional situations, especially now, when even more widespread power outages can be expected in the winter. Fingrid’s Pennanen highlighted the possibility of having two network connections, for example, one of which would be the wired internet at home and the other mobile internet on the phone, from which the network can be shared if necessary.
OP’s Hovi, on the other hand, advises to do a digital fast, i.e. to be without smart devices for a few days, if it is possible.
– That way you can test tolerance to the lack of technology. It gives you a good idea of how many days your everyday life will last, if an exceptional situation comes up.
Ulkuniemi, on the other hand, advises to keep calm in exceptional cases.
– People build their lives on services, which makes life easier. The important thing is, if someone doesn’t work, that we try to solve the problems ourselves first. For example, you don’t call the emergency center right away, which congests the services.
For example, you should ask your neighbors or relatives first if the network is not working or the TV is off.
It is also worth going over the prepared operating instructions in case of exceptional situations with the family and those living in the same household. Ulkuniemi advised, for example, in terms of power outages, to agree on operating instructions within the family, which are followed. If, on the other hand, the children cannot contact the parents, it can be agreed that the parents are expected at home.
Marttaliito’s Suhonen also emphasizes the preparation of joint instructions, but also advises to contact the phone immediately if the electricity goes out.
– When a person gets bored, he picks up this smart device. If hundreds of thousands of people do this, the network becomes congested and the authorities have to act in the middle of this congestion. You should endure boredom and find other ways to entertain yourself, Suhonen states.
What does digital home stock include?
In case of power outages and other exceptional cases, you should be prepared with, for example, warm clothes, a battery-powered radio and cash, and remember that, for example, you should not open the refrigerator or freezer unnecessarily.
– Finns are a docile people, and they don’t panic after a couple of hours of power outages. There are areas in Finland where they are used to it in the winter, Suhonen stated.
The panelists also raised other important points.
– From the bank’s point of view, I recommend keeping valid identity documents with you if electronic identification cannot be used. You should also remember that a driver’s license is not used as an identity document everywhere, OP’s Hovi pointed out.
Hovi also advises to use cloud services in advance, where the data remains stored even when access to the device itself is blocked. In this way, the data can also be transferred to a new device as needed.
Pennanen, on the other hand, advised to prepare with, for example, board games and books that offer entertainment as before digitization.
Be prepared for scams
Being prepared for various online scams can also be considered a part of digital service security. During the past year, scammers have been very active, and according to Ulkuniemi, the police have come to the attention of tens of millions in damages related to various online scams.
The panelists highlight the topicality of scams. For example, now that the price of electricity has risen, there have been scam messages offering cheap or even free electricity contracts. In reality, answering such questions can lead to large financial losses.
In addition, various aid scams were brought up, which may be related to, for example, the war in Ukraine.
– Since the donor of the money does not expect to receive something in return for his donation, he may never find out that it was a scam, Hovi said and continued:
– The scale of scams is wide and criminals are only limited by their imagination. They can use social manipulation, where the person himself makes the payment, or phishing, where the bank credentials are obtained and the criminal makes the payment himself. Scams usually appeal to haste, panic or worry. The scam message can also warn about something that the victim is actually about to stumble upon.
The guide to using an alias to avoid being scammed is simple:
– Don’t really trust anything if you get a strange message or call. Reset the situation and personally contact the bank, utility company or entity from which the contact seems to have come and make sure that everything is in order.