Cyberattacks and Digital Outages
Daily life now runs on systems you never see: card payments, mobile banking, pharmacies, transport tickets, hospital records, heating controls. A cyberattack or a large IT failure can switch them off for hours or days, without a single cloud in the sky. Preparing for a digital outage is simple and cheap, and it protects you against blackouts and network failures at the same time.
1. What can stop working
- Card payments, ATMs and mobile payment apps.
- Online banking and access to your accounts.
- Pharmacies, e-prescriptions and booking systems.
- Public transport tickets, flights and fuel stations.
- Email, cloud storage and the documents you keep only on your phone.
- Websites and apps of public services.
2. Before: prepare your household
Keep an offline backup of daily life
- Keep cash in small notes for a few days of food, medicine and transport. See why cash still matters.
- Have more than one way to pay: two cards from different banks if possible, plus cash.
- Print a list of your medicines and doses, key phone numbers and your bank's emergency number.
- Keep paper or offline copies of ID, insurance and important documents. See Make a Plan.
- Download offline maps of your area.
- Keep your home kit stocked so you do not need to shop during the outage.
Protect your accounts
- Use a different strong password for every important account, and a password manager.
- Turn on two-step verification for email, banking and social media.
- Install updates on your phone, computer and router as soon as they arrive.
- Back up photos and documents to two places: one in the cloud and one offline, such as a USB drive.
- Write down how to recover your most important accounts and keep it in a safe place at home.
3. During an outage or attack
- Get information from official sources: your national cybersecurity agency, your bank, your municipality and public radio.
- Expect scams. Criminals use every crisis to send fake messages from "your bank", "the police" or "the tax office". Your bank will never ask for your password or codes.
- Do not click links in unexpected messages. Call the organisation on a number you already know.
- If your own device or account is attacked: disconnect it from the internet, change your passwords from another device and contact your bank if money is involved.
- Report cybercrime to the police or your national cybersecurity agency.
- Do not share unverified claims about who is behind the attack. Disinformation spreads faster than the facts. See how to recognise real information during a crisis.
4. After
- Check your bank statements for unknown payments.
- Change passwords for any service that was affected, and turn on two-step verification if you had not yet.
- Restock cash and anything you used from your kit.
- Review what you missed: a paper list, a second payment method, an offline copy. Add it now.
Quick checklist
- Cash in small notes
- Two ways to pay
- Medicine list and key numbers on paper
- Offline copies of documents
- Offline maps
- Strong, different passwords and a password manager
- Two-step verification turned on
- Devices updated
- Backups in two places
Frequently asked questions
How much cash should I keep at home?
Enough for a few days of food, medicine and transport for your household. Norwegian and Swedish authorities advise keeping some cash at home for exactly this reason.
Is a cyberattack the same as a power outage?
No, but they can look the same at home: payments stop, information is hard to get and services close. The same preparation covers both. See Power Outages and Communication Failure.
What is the most important thing I can do today?
Turn on two-step verification for your email and bank, and put some cash in your home kit.
Read also: Hybrid threats in Europe, the submarine cables that sustain the internet and all risks.
Sources
- FEMA / Ready.gov: Cybersecurity
- ENISA (EU Agency for Cybersecurity): tips for secure user authentication
- ENISA: dealing with phishing during a crisis
- DSB Norway: Egenberedskap, including cash at home (PDF)
- Swedish advice on cash at home in a crisis (TV4, Swedish)
Educational material. Always follow instructions from your local authorities. Last reviewed: November 2026.