CHRISTOPHER LIVESAY:

While Piperal acknowledges it has never been confirmed that the Russians were behind the attack, she suspects they were aiming to undermine Estonians' trust in their government. Instead the country came together. The government went public describing the attack and the steps it was taking to thwart it. The next year the Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence, a multi-nationally funded think tank, opened in Tallinn. Here they train military and civilian experts from 21 countries how to protect against cyber-attacks on government systems, banks, and utilities. Merle Maigre, its director, says the crisis actually increased people's trust in the government.