Cybersecurity report records more attacks against Lithuania

Lithuania recorded 63 percent more cyber incidents in 2024 than in 2023, according to the 2024 National Cybersecurity Status Report.

“The rise is not due to a heightened threat level, but rather to growing public awareness and a better understanding of the need to report cyber incidents,” the report states.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NKSC) registered 3,874 cyber incidents in 2024, up from 2,378 in 2023, according to the report prepared by the Defence Ministry along with other national institutions.

The document notes that most incidents were classified as minor or moderate, with three deemed major.

These major incidents were linked to foreign state-backed groups that hacked into organisations’ networks in pursuit of long-term goals, such as espionage.

According to the NKSC, malicious social engineering aimed at obtaining sensitive information is the main cause of cyber incidents in Lithuania.

Such attacks made up 59 percent of all incidents recorded by the centre in 2024, compared to 38 percent in 2023.

New trend: fearmongering about World War III

According to the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Strategic Communication Department, Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine had the greatest impact on “hostile information activities” targeting Lithuania in 2024.

The military says these came from Russian and Belarusian officials, politicians, military leaders and state-controlled media.

According to the report, disinformation efforts increasingly focused on Lithuania’s support for Ukraine. Narratives portrayed NATO as an aggressive military bloc and Lithuania as a Russophobic country. There were also efforts to discredit Lithuania’s defence and downplay the importance of the German brigade’s deployment.

The military says there has also been growing fearmongering about possible World War III or a nuclear conflict.

It expects pressure to remain high this year, with state-controlled or state-influenced actors continuing efforts to discredit the Lithuanian Armed Forces and NATO, and using narratives that blame the “collective West” to justify their actions.

The National Cybersecurity Status Report is an annual overview of the “cybersecurity landscape” in Lithuania. It is prepared by the Defence Ministry in cooperation with the NKSC, police, the State Data Protection Inspectorate, the Communications Regulatory Authority, and the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ Strategic Communication Department.