Cyprus critical infrastructure targeted by coordinated cyberattacks linked to proPalestine groups The Record from Recorded Future News

pppLeadershipppCybercrimeppNationstateppElectionsppTechnologyppCyber DailyppClick Here Podcastpp Free Newsletterpp Cyprus critical infrastructure and government websites were targeted in a series of coordinated cyberattacks claimed by several proPalestine hacker groups pp The countrys cyber officials reported that most of the attacks were unsuccessful causing only temporary disruptions to targeted facilities including banks airports and government websites pp The first warnings about a potential cyber operation against Cyprus emerged last week following statements on Telegram and dark web forums from groups such as LulzSec Black Moroccan Soldiers Black Maskers Army and Anonymous Syria The groups claimed they would compromise Cypriot agencies to punish the country for its support of Israel pp This operation was carried out in response to Cyprus support for the occupying usurping entity said hackers from the LulzSec Black group adding in a separate statement that they would stop the attacks if Cyprus changed its position toward Israel and sent food supply planes to the Gaza Strip pp A Cyprusbased cybersecurity firm Odyssey confirmed that local government agencies had been on high alert since the hackers announcements The firm added that the attacks appear to be politically motivated pp While Cyprus has taken a neutral position in the ongoing IsraelPalestine conflict the country has historically supported Israels military In recent years Israel has used Cypriot territory to train its troops and conducted drills in the countrys airspace According to recent reports the UK has allegedly used its military bases in Cyprus to supply arms to Israel for its operations in Gaza and southern Lebanon pp It remains unclear what specifically motivated the hackers to target Cyprus or whether they are backed by any state pp Among the affected services were the governments main online portal Cyprus electricity and telecommunications authorities the countrys major bank an oil company and the operator of two local airports Most reported being hit by distributed denialofservice DDoS attacks though hackers also claimed to have exfiltrated sensitive data pp Hermes the local airport operator said it had temporarily taken its website offline as a precaution following the attack but airport operations were unaffected except for its online parking reservation service Local media reported that airport checkpoints and police control systems operated slower than usual last week as systems were upgraded to prevent further threats pp The countrys digital ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the attack on the governments central online portal caused it to be unavailable for only a few minutes with no other ministry or government service websites affected DDoS attacks typically flood targeted sites with junk traffic making them temporarily unreachable pp George Michaelides Cyprus top cyber official said that although citizens were not directly impacted companies should be prepared to repel future attacks quickly and restore services pp In response to the hackers latest threats of new attacks Michaelides said that such announcements aim to create panic pp There should be no panic we just have to be prepared he added ppDaryna Antoniukppis a reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine She writes about cybersecurity startups cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine Her work has also been published at Sifted The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv PostppPrivacyppAboutppContact Uspp Copyright 2024 The Record from Recorded Future Newsp