Helsinki, 26 November 2024: DNV Cyber, the leading cybersecurity services provider, has guided the production team on a fictional attack on Finland for a new action-drama TV series, Conflict.

TV channel MTV’s six-part programme, directed by Aku Louhimies, tells the story of how the country handles a military attack on a small town that escalates into a cyber-attack and a national crisis. The production team consulted the cybersecurity services provider on the cybersecurity realities of the show, and DNV Cyber’s experts can also be seen advising the President of Finland on how to respond to the attack on-screen.

The TV series gives viewers a rare glimpse into DNV Cyber’s Security Operations Centre (SOC), which provides real-time, round-the-clock monitoring of organizations’ IT networks to detect and respond to threats. DNV Cyber has provided cybersecurity services to Finnish organizations for over 30 years. It was formed in 2024 by the merger of Nordic cybersecurity specialist Nixu with DNV, the independent assurance and risk management provider.

“While the Conflict TV series is fictional, it portrays a very credible scenario in our society. The plot could very well happen in reality, and in our SOC, we see similar cybersecurity incidents occur almost every day,” said Jan Mickos, Managed Services Director, DNV Cyber.

Conflict depicts an escalating crisis that starts with a fictional military attack on a small coastal town in Finland. While most real-life cyber-threats usually target individual organisations, the threat posed in the series targets several organizations and affects the entire Finnish nation.

“Conflict does a great job showing the role and importance of different organisations in responding and recovering from the effects of a cyber-attack. For us as a nation to be strong collectively, we need everyone to do their part in protecting our critical infrastructure,” said Mickos.

Conflict is directed by award-winning Finnish director Aku Louhimies, who co-wrote the series with Andrei Alén, author Helena Immonen, and screenwriter Jari Olavi Rantala.

“It’s great that DNV Cyber is supporting Finnish culture by participating in the Conflict production,” says the Director of the Conflict TV series Aku Louhimies.

“Cybersecurity services providers like DNV Cyber play an important role in Finland’s cybersecurity strategy as the state alone cannot secure the nation’s entire critical infrastructure. For example, if logistics centres do not function, trucks won’t move, trade will stop, and our tables will run out of food. That’s where we come in to assist a broad range of businesses who keep society running and represent significant entities in Finland’s economy,” Mickos explains.

The increase in malicious cyber activities following Finland’s NATO membership and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have emphasized the importance of constant alertness and development.

“In Finland, we can be proud that our security is well thought out and that we have always acted together when crisis strikes. However, it’s important that we also think about the future and worst-case scenarios – What more could be done in advance? Sharing of new information and cooperation should be our top priority,” says Mickos.

Conflict will be available on the Finnish TV channel MTV3 and streaming service MTV Katsomo starting Saturday, 30 November 2024. The Conflict cast includes, among others, Sara Soulié, Peter Franzén, Julia Korpinen, Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Salah Isse Mohamed, and Jukka Puotila.