Government institutions in Montenegro were targeted by a major computer attack, and the small Balkan country, a member of NATO, has asked its allies for help to try to limit the damage, Prime Minister Dritan has announced. Abazovic.
This is the second cyberattack, after a first wave having struck institutions in this country of 620,000 inhabitants in the wake of a motion of censure which overthrew its government on August 19. The computer systems of several institutions were “infected”, including that of the Ministry of Finance, he added.
Russia added Montenegro to its list of “enemy countries” in March.
After meeting the National Security Council late Friday to decide on the measures to be taken, the head of government, who manages current affairs, did not comment on the origins of this attack, but his interior minister designated Russia.
Russia added Montenegro to its list of “enemy countries” in March, following its alignment with European Union sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine in February.
“We were unable to confirm, at the council, by people competent in this field, whether an individual, a group or a State was behind (this attack), but we could not exclude that either”, said Dritan Abazovic at a press conference.
“Montenegro will appeal to international partners for expert help to recover any data recovered in this attack and to prevent future attacks,” the prime minister said.
“The accounts of citizens and companies, like their data, are not threatened,” assured the Minister of Public Service, Maras Dukaj.
“All critical infrastructure” is at risk
For the Minister of the Interior, Rasko Konjevic, these are “very sophisticated attacks which cannot be carried out by individuals”. “Who could have any sort of political interest to inflict such damage on Montenegro? I find that there are enough (elements) to doubt that Russia is behind the attack,” Rasko Konjevic told national television.
Several media, citing an “informal briefing” for the local press at the National Security Agency (ANB), said on Saturday that the attack was led by “several Russian services”. According to the same source, “all essential infrastructure” is at risk, including electricity and water supply systems. The power plants have switched to the manual mode of operation.
The US Embassy has issued a warning to US nationals in the country, stating that these “persistent” cyberattacks could cause “disruption to utilities, transportation, including at border crossings and airports. , as well as in the field of telecommunications”.