A recent breakdown of the Nets payment system in Denmark has sparked concerns among politicians and experts regarding the country’s preparedness for disruptions to digital payment infrastructure. The incident, which lasted for two and a half hours, highlighted the nation’s heavy reliance on digital payment methods and revealed vulnerabilities in the system.

The Minister for Emergency Management and Civil Protection, Torsten Schack Pedersen, expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the situation, particularly highlighting the problems encountered at the Great Belt Bridge, where many tourists were unable to pay the toll due to a lack of cash or alternative payment methods.

Politicians are calling for a comprehensive action plan to address potential future cyber attacks, even though Nets has stated that the breakdown was not caused by malicious intent. The heightened security situation has amplified these concerns. SF’s Lisbeth Bech-Poulsen voiced worries about the centralization of payment systems, which led to chaos during the Nets outage. Alternativet has suggested the implementation of a state action plan to improve overall coordination.

Minister Schack Pedersen is awaiting a statement from Nets, requested by the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, to identify the root cause of the problem before considering specific solutions. He emphasized the need to learn from the incident and acknowledged that the consequences for citizens are the same regardless of whether a breakdown is caused by cybercrime, software error, or human error. He also mentioned that the government prioritizes maintaining a very high level of cyber security and is working to ensure the highest possible level of protection through legislation while also emphasizing the importance of contingency plans.

The breakdown also served as a “commercial awakening” for businesses, many of which experienced significant problems and revenue losses. Schack Pedersen believes this experience will encourage more companies to develop contingency plans and backup solutions, noting that some businesses with offline payment options were better equipped to handle the disruption.

Nets has declined to comment further until its internal investigation is complete, referring to a previous press release stating that the breakdown was not triggered by external malicious influence. The company is continuing to investigate the cause and will determine necessary measures to enhance the system’s resilience in similar situations.