Last week, Finland's national broadcaster indulged in a bit of investigative journalism. It tested how secure major government and commercial buildings in the capital of Helsinki were, by simply sending to each of them a man disguised as a construction worker, wearing a safety vest and carrying a folding ladder, to see whether he could gain easy entrance.

No fewer than 10 out of the 11 key buildings tested - including those belonging to sensitive government bodies such as Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority - happily waved the supposed construction worker through their doors without checking any of his credentials, just because he looked the part, and acted plausibly.