The Hybrid CoE published a handbook in March 2023 outlining maritime hybrid threat scenarios and legal responses.

Cyber & Information WarfareCyber AttacksAttacks on critical infrastructure (energy, transport, hospitals)

AggressorDefense

Summary

The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats released its second edition of the handbook in March 2023, addressing maritime hybrid threats and providing 15 distinct scenarios. The handbook emphasizes the potential risks posed by hybrid actors, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and offers legal analyses to aid decision-makers in maritime operations. It discusses incidents such as protection of underwater gas pipelines, cyberattacks on shipping, and various forms of maritime intimidation.

Classification

Confidence: High

The handbook outlines potential hybrid threats, including cyberattacks on maritime infrastructure, and discusses legal preparations and responses, indicating both aggressor scenarios and defense preparations.

Source URL

https://hybridcoe.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NEW_web_Hybrid_CoE_Paper-16_rgb.pdf

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: extension
Submitted: Feb 1, 2026, 00:14 UTC
Last updated: Nov 4, 2026, 08:36 UTC
Event time: Mar 1, 2023, 00:00 UTC

Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "afb15eae-d8bf-442e-9449-1778cdc778aa",
  "url": "https://hybridcoe.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NEW_web_Hybrid_CoE_Paper-16_rgb.pdf",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare",
  "subcategory": "Cyber Attacks",
  "incident_type": "Attacks on critical infrastructure (energy, transport, hospitals)",
  "country": "Baltic Sea Region",
  "source_reliability": "A",
  "info_credibility": "2",
  "tags": [
    "maritime security",
    "hybrid threats",
    "cyberattacks",
    "critical infrastructure",
    "EU-NATO cooperation"
  ],
  "nodes": [],
  "countries": [
    "Baltic Sea Region"
  ],
  "where_text": "Maritime",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats released its second edition of the handbook in March 2023, addressing maritime hybrid threats and providing 15 distinct scenarios. The handbook emphasizes the potential risks posed by hybrid actors, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and offers legal analyses to aid decision-makers in maritime operations. It discusses incidents such as protection of underwater gas pipelines, cyberattacks on shipping, and various forms of maritime intimidation.",
  "summary_short": "The Hybrid CoE published a handbook in March 2023 outlining maritime hybrid threat scenarios and legal responses.",
  "summary_extended": null,
  "actor_primary": null,
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Baltic Sea Region",
  "location_region": "",
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Approximate",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": false,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The handbook outlines potential hybrid threats, including cyberattacks on maritime infrastructure, and discusses legal preparations and responses, indicating both aggressor scenarios and defense preparations.",
  "event_time_utc": "2023-03-01T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "unknown",
  "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:43.788Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "approximate",
  "time_precision_band": "unknown",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: UnknownLocation: Approximate

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Mar 1, 2023, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

unknown

Location

Baltic Sea Region

Country

Baltic Sea Region

Countries

Baltic Sea Region

Tags

maritime security, hybrid threats, cyberattacks, critical infrastructure, EU-NATO cooperation

Loading signal...

{ "id": "afb15eae-d8bf-442e-9449-1778cdc778aa", "url": "https://hybridcoe.fi/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/NEW_web_Hybrid_CoE_Paper-16_rgb.pdf", "source": "extension", "status": "approved", "category": "Cyber & Information Warfare", "subcategory": "Cyber Attacks", "incident_type": "Attacks on critical infrastructure (energy, transport, hospitals)", "country": "Baltic Sea Region", "source_reliability": "A", "info_credibility": "2", "tags": [ "maritime security", "hybrid threats", "cyberattacks", "critical infrastructure", "EU-NATO cooperation" ], "nodes": [], "countries": [ "Baltic Sea Region" ], "where_text": "Maritime", "headline": null, "description": "The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats released its second edition of the handbook in March 2023, addressing maritime hybrid threats and providing 15 distinct scenarios. The handbook emphasizes the potential risks posed by hybrid actors, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and offers legal analyses to aid decision-makers in maritime operations. It discusses incidents such as protection of underwater gas pipelines, cyberattacks on shipping, and various forms of maritime intimidation.", "summary_short": "The Hybrid CoE published a handbook in March 2023 outlining maritime hybrid threat scenarios and legal responses.", "summary_extended": null, "actor_primary": null, "target_primary": null, "location_text": "Baltic Sea Region", "location_region": "", "location_coordinates_lat": null, "location_coordinates_lon": null, "location_precision": "Approximate", "is_aggressor_signal": true, "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL", "is_hybrid_war_signal": false, "classification_complete": true, "hybrid_signal_complete": true, "classification_confidence": "High", "classification_rationale": "The handbook outlines potential hybrid threats, including cyberattacks on maritime infrastructure, and discusses legal preparations and responses, indicating both aggressor scenarios and defense preparations.", "event_time_utc": "2023-03-01T00:00:00.000Z", "end_time_utc": null, "event_time_confidence": "unknown", "created_at": "2026-02-01T00:14:43.788Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-04T08:36:03.522Z", "reliability_band": "strong", "location_precision_band": "approximate", "time_precision_band": "unknown", "severity_band": "moderate", "attribution_confidence_band": "high", "attribution_basis": "single_source" }