Estonia seeks cybersecurity funding boost ahead of March elections
Ahead of March elections that will again include e-voting, Estonia's government wants to increase cybersecurity investment as attacks grow more massive and increasingly AI-assisted.
Estonia's government wants to increase investment in cybersecurity, including protection for e-voting, as attacks against the country have grown more massive and are increasingly carried out with the help of artificial intelligence. Estonia holds elections in March, when digital voting will again be available, but advancing technology has introduced new risks for the digital state.
Joonas Heiter, director of the Information System Authority (RIA), said that while cybercriminals once searched for security vulnerabilities manually, machines now do this work for them, scanning at massive scale. No fully AI-driven cyberattack has yet been confirmed in Estonia, though such cases are known elsewhere in the world. Heiter noted that the number of damaging incidents doubles every year.
No shared agreement within government
Within the government, however, there is no shared understanding of how to address the situation. Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform Party) said the necessary funding already exists and resources can be shifted within the sector if needed, but no additional money was added to the state budget.
Justice and Digital Minister Liisa-Ly Pakosta (Eesti 200) confirmed her ministry received no extra funds and further cuts are being made elsewhere. She said cybersecurity remains exceptionally important, so coverage will be found by cutting other existing expenses. Improving cybersecurity next year would require an additional five million euros, and more than 20 million euros over four years.
Pakosta said funding for e-voting will be secured regardless, drawing on the government's reserve fund if necessary to protect the elections. She stressed the need for both more technology and more people to operate it.
Arne Koitmäe, head of the State Electoral Office, added that the office is prepared for various special situations, and if the voting system can no longer be trusted for any reason, a backup plan exists to switch entirely to paper voting.
