Bulgarian Government Hit By Cyberattack Blamed On Russian Hacking Group
Bulgarian Government Hit By Cyberattack Blamed On Russian Hacking Group
Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev (file photo)
Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev (file photo)
The websites of the Bulgarian presidency and several other government ministries were the target of a large-scale cyberattack, the Prosecutor-General’s Office said on October 15, blaming Russian hackers.
Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev described it as a "serious problem," calling it "an attack on the Bulgarian state."
In addition to the president’s office, the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack paralyzed the websites of the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Justice Ministry, and the Constitutional Court, Geshev said.
The attack came from the Russian city of Magnitogorsk, he added.
A DDoS attack sends an excessive number of requests that overwhelm the targeted websites. The attack renders the websites inaccessible or makes them run slowly.
Measures were taken to reduce the impact of the attack on the Bulgarian government websites and there was no breach of content, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said, adding that the attacks had been halted.
As part of the European Union, Bulgaria defends European values, Geshev said, adding that it is expected that this attack would have consequences.
Bulgaria is providing Ukraine with humanitarian support as Russia continues its ongoing full-scale invasion of the country. Bulgaria is also taking in Ukrainians who are fleeing the war.
Broadcaster Dnevnik reported that the Russian hacking group KillNet claimed responsibility. The group announced the attack on its Telegram channel. The members of KillNet describe themselves as pro-Kremlin patriots.
The purpose of their attacks is to attract attention and spread disinformation.
Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev (file photo)
Bulgarian Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev (file photo)
The websites of the Bulgarian presidency and several other government ministries were the target of a large-scale cyberattack, the Prosecutor-General’s Office said on October 15, blaming Russian hackers.
Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev described it as a "serious problem," calling it "an attack on the Bulgarian state."
In addition to the president’s office, the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack paralyzed the websites of the Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Justice Ministry, and the Constitutional Court, Geshev said.
The attack came from the Russian city of Magnitogorsk, he added.
A DDoS attack sends an excessive number of requests that overwhelm the targeted websites. The attack renders the websites inaccessible or makes them run slowly.
Measures were taken to reduce the impact of the attack on the Bulgarian government websites and there was no breach of content, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said, adding that the attacks had been halted.
As part of the European Union, Bulgaria defends European values, Geshev said, adding that it is expected that this attack would have consequences.
Bulgaria is providing Ukraine with humanitarian support as Russia continues its ongoing full-scale invasion of the country. Bulgaria is also taking in Ukrainians who are fleeing the war.
Broadcaster Dnevnik reported that the Russian hacking group KillNet claimed responsibility. The group announced the attack on its Telegram channel. The members of KillNet describe themselves as pro-Kremlin patriots.
The purpose of their attacks is to attract attention and spread disinformation.
