Tag Archive for: ministry

Russian Defense Ministry website targeted by foreign cyberattack

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Russia’s Defense Ministry was targeted by a DDoS cyberattack conducted by a foreign source on Friday, according to the Russian TASS news agency.

“The official website of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the Internet was subjected to a DDoS attack, as a result of which some users may experience difficulties in accessing its content,” the ministry said, according to TASS.

The ministry added that the source of the attack came from outside Russia. The site has been restored.

The computer security service of the Defense Ministry stated that “No violations in the operability of the software and technical infrastructure of the website of the Russian Defense Ministry have been allowed.”

US President Joe Biden recently warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the US would take “any necessary action” to stop cyberattacks from Russia, after a series of cyberattacks from within Russia territory targeted US companies.

Biden told reporters that he “made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil, even though it’s not sponsored by the state, we expect them to act if we give them enough information to act on who that is,” according to the BBC.

The Kremlin denied that the US has contacted Russia about cyberattacks, saying that Russia is ready to “jointly clamp down on criminal activity in the informational sphere.”

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‘Cyberattack’ hits Iran transport ministry and railway – Middle East Monitor

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The website of Iran’s transport ministry was taken down on Saturday by what state television said was a “cyber disruption”, a day after an apparent cyberattack on the state railway company, reported Reuters.

Computer systems of the staff of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development were the subject of the attack which resulted in the ministry’s portal and sub-portal sites becoming unavailable, the TV channel reported.

It didn’t give any indication of who it believed could have been behind the attack and did not say if any ransom demand had been made.

Train services had been disrupted on Friday, with hackers posting fake delay notices on station boards, state-affiliated news outlets reported. The government-run railway company said only the displays had been affected and that trains ran normally.

Opinion: Middle East nuclear proliferation may be on the way, but the immediate threat is cyberwarfare

Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi warned on Saturday of possible ransomware attacks unless vulnerabilities in computer systems were dealt with, Iranian news outlets reported.

In late 2020, Iran said hackers launched large-scale attacks on two of its government institutions, without giving details on the targets or the suspected perpetrators.

Iran says it is on high alert for online assaults, which it has blamed in the past on the United States and Israel. The United States and other Western powers meanwhile have accused Iran of trying to disrupt and break into their networks.

Israel general: Destroying Iran nuclear program harder than destroying Iraq’s, Syria’s

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New Zealand’s hospitals battle daily cyber attacks: Ministry of Health

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Waikato DHB’s IT system has faced major disruption since Tuesday morning. Photo / Alan Gibson

New Zealand’s health network battles against cyber assaults every day, officials have confirmed after a major attack led surgeries to be postponed at all Waikato public hospitals this week.

The Ministry of Health also said Tuesday’s attack – which brought the Waikato District Health Board’s entire IT system down – did not appear linked to another major assault on Ireland’s health network recently.

The Waikato DHB has said it will not be able to fix its IT network until the weekend after Monday’s attack disrupted emails, phone lines and other services.

Waikato DHB chief executive Kevin Snee earlier told news outlet RNZ the attack appeared to enter the health provider’s network’s system through an email attachment.

The Ministry of Health said it was now working with the DHB and National Cyber Security Centre as well as an “external specialist cyber security company” to recover from the attack.

And it appeared Tuesday’s attack was unlikely to be the last major attack New Zealand’s hospitals would face.

“All DHBS face cyber attacks in various forms daily,” a Ministry of Health spokeswoman said.

“For security reasons, we will not be commenting on the response to the Waikato DHB incident in greater detail at this time.”

Cyber attacks have been increasingly making headlines in recent years, including with the major ransomware attack on Ireland’s health network last Friday and another ransomware attack that shut down a major fuel pipeline in the United States this week.

Against the growing cyber threat, the Ministry of Health said it had advised DHBs to ask staff to be particularly vigilant when using the internet.

“DHBs have been asked to go through their IT systems looking for patterns of a similar event,” the ministry’s spokeswoman said.

“They have also been asked to again check their anti-virus and other security systems are up to date and can protect their systems from a cyber attack.”

“Staff are being urged to be extra careful clicking on links or attachments in emails, especially from people they don’t know.”

The Ministry’s Data and Digital team had also encouraged DHBs to have a plan…

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Higher Education Ministry hopes to resume in-person classes in March 2021

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The Higher Education Ministry has said that university students can expect to return to their campuses by early March next year.

Berita Harian reported its minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad as saying her ministry will submit a request to that effect to the National Security Council (NSC) for deliberation.

“It is still at the discussion stage. The ministry proposed March for the start of the semester, but this cannot be confirmed until the NSC agrees,” she said when contacted.

Noraini added the issue will be brought up again in the near future and an official announcement will be made once confirmed.

In preparation for the return of students, she said the ministry and universities are reinforcing all related standard operating procedures (SOP).

Among the proposed new SOPs would be special isolation areas (tempat pengasingan) for students.

“Other proposals such as hybrid classes will also be implemented to reduce risks further,” Noraini said.

Classes set to take place next month will continue online as is the current practice.

Public and private universities switched to online courses and studies following the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) in March this year. — Malay Mail

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