Albanian Parliament & Telecoms Operator Attacked

The Assembly of the Republic of Albania and the national telecom company One Albania were targeted by cyber attacks, the country's National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security (AKCESK) has  revealed.

Hackers took advantage of the Christmas recess to attempt infiltration of the Parliament’s data system, knocking services offline. Investigators are still working to discover what consequences the attack may  have had. 

"These infrastructures, under the legislation in force, are not currently classified as critical or important information infrastructure," AKCESK said in a statement.

On Christmas Day, the telecoms One Albania, part of the Deutsche Telecom / T-Mobile group, with  1.5 million subscribers, announced that it had handled the security incident without any issues and that its services, including mobile, landline, and IPTV, were unaffected.

AKCESK also said that the intrusions did not originate from Albanian IP addresses, adding it managed to "identify potential cases in real-time."

The agency also said that it has been focusing its efforts on identifying the source of the attacks, recovering compromised systems, and implementing security measures to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. Furthermore, AKCESK said the incident has prompted it to review and strengthen its cybersecurity strategies.

The exact scale and scope of the attacks are currently not known, but an Iranian hacker group called Homeland Justice claimed responsibility on its Telegram channel, in addition to stating that it had breached flag carrier airline Air Albania.  In a message on December 24, the group said it is "back to destroy supporters of terrorists." The hackers have since been publishing a series of official documents, which include emails between departments, e-mail of the Prime Minister, or exchange of information with Albanian diplomatic headquarters abroad. 

The development comes more than a year after Albanian government services were targeted by destructive cyber attacks in 2022. This development subsequently prompted the US government to sanction Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and its Minister of Intelligence, for engaging in 'cyber-enabled activities' against the US and its allies.

CESK.Gov:   Homeland Justice:   News24:    Facebook:    Hacker News:    CIO:    Albainain Post:   The Record:   

Image: Pixabay

You Might Also Read: 

Montenegro Falls Under Attack:

___________________________________________________________________________________________

If you like this website and use the comprehensive 6,500-plus service supplier Directory, you can get unrestricted access, including the exclusive in-depth Directors Report series, by signing up for a Premium Subscription.

  • Individual £5 per month or £50 per year. Sign Up
  • Multi-User, Corporate & Library Accounts Available on Request

Cyber Security Intelligence: Captured Organised & Accessible


 




 

« The New York Times Intends To Sue Microsoft  & OpenAI
Bridging The Cybersecurity Skills Gap With Efficiency »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Directory of Cyber Security Suppliers

Our Supplier Directory lists 8,000+ specialist cyber security service providers in 128 countries worldwide. IS YOUR ORGANISATION LISTED?

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

RU-CERT

RU-CERT

RU-CERT is the CSIRT / CERT team of the Russian Federation.

SQNetworks

SQNetworks

SQNetworks provides a full range of cybersecurity consultancy, services and solutions.

Nouveau

Nouveau

Nouveau Solutions is a specialist IT managed services company with a strategic focus on delivering cloud, infrastructure, compliance, network and security solutions.

Inky Technology Corp

Inky Technology Corp

Inky® Phish Fence is an email protection gateway that uses sophisticated AI, machine learning and computer vision algorithms to block deep sea phishing attacks that get through every other system.

Infigo IS

Infigo IS

INFIGO IS specializes in information security consulting services. Our employees are leading information security experts in Croatia.

JupiterOne

JupiterOne

JupiterOne is the security product that is changing how organizations manage and secure their software defined assets.

Ross & Baruzzini

Ross & Baruzzini

Ross & Baruzzini delivers integrated technology, consulting, and engineering solutions for safe, sustainable, and resilient facilities.

Alkira

Alkira

Alkira has reinvented networking for the cloud era by delivering the network cloud, the first global unified network infrastructure with on-demand hybrid and multi-cloud connectivity.

Inversion6

Inversion6

Inversion6 (formerly MRK Technologies) is a cybersecurity risk management provider that offers custom security solutions.

EdgeWatch

EdgeWatch

EdgeWatch is a platform that helps information accredited security practitioners discover, monitor, and analyze devices that are accessible from the Internet.

Zama

Zama

Zama - pioneering homomorphic encryption. We believe people shouldn't care about privacy. Not because it doesn't matter, but because it shouldn't be an issue!

SektorCERT

SektorCERT

SektorCERT is the cybersecurity center for the critical infrastructure sectors in Denmark. We help detect and handle when critical infrastructure is exposed to cyber attacks.

SIGLA Group

SIGLA Group

SIGLA Group specialize in the design and development of IT and OT solutions, from analysis to design, from implementation to commissioning, as well as consultancy, training and assistance.

403Tech Inc.

403Tech Inc.

403Tech is a Calgary based IT Solutions Provider, specializing in small & medium business.

Equixly

Equixly

Equixly is revolutionizing application security by empowering developers and organizations to build more secure software, elevate their security posture, and stay ahead of emerging threats.

Burges Salmon

Burges Salmon

Burges Salmon is an independent UK law firm with a clear purpose to deliver the highest quality service and best experience, for our people and for you.