Sweden must build resilience, given the serious security situation.
A crucial part when we are going to do this is that we must protect our secrets. What is most worth protecting will, of course, be particularly exposed and an attractive target for foreign power, says Charlotte von Essen in connection with a lecture in Almedalen, and continues:
What is most worth protecting will, of course, be particularly exposed and an attractive target for foreign power.
Building effective protection for companies and authorities is not just about physical protection - such as locks, alarms and IT security. It's also about the people who work there.
"Exploiting vulnerabilities"
For organizations that risk being exposed, the message from Säpo is to partly conduct a security protection analysis of the entire operation, and partly be careful with the security screening of those they employ. In the security screening, loyalty, reliability and vulnerabilities are investigated. Säpo emphasizes that this analysis should continue continuously, as it can change.
An example is that an employee can go through a divorce, which takes so hard that one starts drinking, which in turn leads to coming late to work, maybe thereby missing the chance of a promotion. If one then meets a nice person at the pub who confirms and shows appreciation, it's easy to fall for it. Foreign power seeks out potential vulnerabilities in people who work in security-sensitive activities, according to von Essen.
Säpo itself affected
Therefore, it's good if managers create a culture in the workplace where employees dare to tell if something happens in their life that affects their vulnerability, and that they talk about the importance of security and protecting secrets.
Säpo itself was affected a few years ago, when Peyman Kia, an employee at the agency, obtained secret information that was handed over to the Russian intelligence service.
They are, of course, very serious. At the same time, we feel that it's a strength that we managed to identify this person, says von Essen, and adds that "a number of different measures" have been taken to prevent it from happening again.
A security screening can be done if a person may come into contact with secret information. Within authorities, a security screening must be done for all positions of so-called security class.
The screening normally consists of one or more interviews and a register check. Even relatives can be checked. In the personal investigation, the following are checked:
+ Loyalty. Does the person have anti-democratic ideological convictions or loyalty ties to other states?
+ Reliability. Is it a person who is generally careless or thinks that rules are not that important?
+ Vulnerabilities. Unlike the other two points, this is associated with the life situation, something that can change over time. Is the person at risk of ending up in an exposed situation and becoming vulnerable to external pressure? Examples of vulnerabilities include abuse, financial problems, concern that "embarrassing things" will be spread or family and friendship ties with criminals or people with connections to foreign power.
Source: Säpo
