Information security in Moldova

• Information and Security Service of the Republic of Moldova (RSI, SIS)

• Moldova

Chronicle

2023: Wave of cyber attacks hits Moldovan government

On January 5, 2023, the Service information technology cyber security Moldova and (STISC) reported that the state institutions of the country were subjected to massive fraudulent and phishing attacks.

More than 1,330 messages have already been sent to email addresses belonging to various government agencies by cybercriminals. As part of one of the cyber campaigns, the emails contained a notice of the supposed expiration of the state domain.md. At the same time, recipients were invited to follow the link to issue a subscription renewal. In fact, this link led to a fake payment page through which cybercriminals stole money.

Hackers massively attack the government's computer systems

Phishing emails were sent on behalf of the hosting company Alexhost, which has already confirmed the attacks. In an official notice, Alexhost recommends that its customers check all bills before paying in their personal account.

Someone uses the name of our company without any consent. The letter comes with a fake payment page. Please do not pay by credit card. Before opening any link, always check if the Alexhost domain belongs. This is a criminal act that will be reported to the authorities and other organizations, the notification of the hosting company says.

Moldova's cybersecurity regulator did not say whether the phishing campaigns were successful or how many government agencies were affected. It is also not clear who is behind these attacks - hacker groups of any state or independent ransomware gangs. According to STISC, in October 2022, unknown attackers attacked 80 state computer systems in Moldova: DDoS campaigns were organized, which, however, did not cause serious damage.^[1]

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