Coordinated Russia-linked cyber attacks against Lithuania have reached unprecedented scale this week, the country’s Minister of Defence Arvydas Anušauskas says, warning private organisations that vulnerabilities could lead to more serious attacks.
“Cyber attacks [against Lithuania] have been going on all the time, non-stop, for years. But on such a scale and intensity, […] this is probably the first time it has happened,” Anušauskas told LRT RADIO, adding that recent attacks were only “medium intensity”.
Read more: Lithuania hit with 'intensive' cyber attacks amid Kaliningrad row
According to the minister, hackers are looking for vulnerabilities and may later exploit them, causing serious damage to businesses.
“There’s a possibility, after gaining access, to not just block the network, but, for example, reach a company’s customer data, encrypt it and then demand ransom,” Anušauskas said.
“Such methods have been used for a long time, and I think companies should make copies, duplicate their database, and make sure it’s secure so that they do not lose it,” he warned.
According to Anušauskas, the Killnet hacker group, which claimed responsibility for Monday’s attacks on Lithuanian institutions, is “linked to the Russian special services” and the attacks can be seen as Russia’s response to the Kaliningrad transit restrictions.
Lithuania has recently come under intense cyber attacks, with some state institutions and companies experiencing disruptions. The country’s National Cyber Security Centre said on Tuesday the scale of the attacks, which started last week, was going down, but warned that hackers were increasingly targeting the country’s businesses rather than state institutions.
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