The Latvian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT.LV) reported on Wednesday that several public and private sector websites have suffered serious cyberattacks in recent days by groups of hackers loyal to the Kremlin.
The attacks started on mondayone day before military and civil defense maneuvers began with the participation of 8,500 Latvian and NATO troops.
As announced by CERT.LV, almost all the attacks have been repelled, and their most recent target has been the platform of the NGO “Mi Voz” (Manabalss.lv) that collects signatures to promote citizen initiatives.
On Tuesday, the platform announced that suspended their current campaigns due to the cyber attack and allegations by Russian hackers that the signatories’ personal data had been leaked.
However, according to CERT.LV, the platform has not suffered any data loss and the claims made public on social networks are false. “There is no reason to worry, Manabalss.lv has not revealed the names of the signatories and the hackers have not been successful”he claimed.
The cyberattacks against the platform seem to be related to an initiative that has collected more than 10,000 signatures and that asks the Government to withdraw a proposal to extend the deadlines for Russian citizens residing in Latvia to certify their knowledge of the Latvian language in order to be able to obtain temporary residence permits.
Cyberattacks against websites in Latvia and other Baltic countries by Russian hackers have occurred on a regular basis since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In its latest report for the month of July, CERT.LV noted that that month “the activities of hacktivist groups supporting the Russian aggressor regime were mainly directed against Lithuania.”
”In Latvia, the Saeima (Parliament) and several companies in the transport sector experienced denial of service attacks, but they were short and had no impact”added the institution.
hackers in action
Russian intelligence agencies worked with a Moscow-based defense contractor to strengthen its ability to launch cyber attacks, sowing disinformation and monitoring sections of the Internet, based on thousands of pages of confidential corporate documents.
The documents detail a suite of software and databases that would allow Russia’s intelligence agencies and hacking groups to better find vulnerabilities, coordinate attacks and monitor online activity. The documents suggest the company was supporting operations that included both disinformation from social media and training to remotely disrupt real-world targets such as security systems. maritime, air and rail control.
An anonymous person provided the contractor’s documents, NTC Vulkan, to a German reporter after expressing outrage over Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The leak, an unusual development for Russia’s secretive military-industrial complex, demonstrates another unintended consequence of the president’s decision. Vladimir Putin to lead his country into war.
(with information from EFE)
Source-www.infobae.com