Government data and information systems have not been compromised, the Albanian Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday (18 July) after a sophisticated and synchronized cyber attack targeted Albania over the weekend.
On Sunday (17 July), the Albanian National Agency for Information Society was forced to shut down online public services and government websites because of the attack.
“The methods used by these malicious actors are similar to [attacks] observed in the international cyberspace…Fortunately, the rapid detection and response to these attacks meant that government systems emerged unscathed,” the government wrote in its Monday statement.
The statement also clarified that all information systems are backed up and secure, and will be restored to full functionality, although it did not specify when.
The shut down has affected the websites of Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as e-Albania—the government portal that all Albanians, as well as foreign residents and investors, have to use to use a slew of public services.
The Ministry of Education had to pause online registration for school children, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was force to halt all online services at its consulates abroad.
As of 1 May, e-Albania has taken on the role of many institutional counter services from across the country. Matters such as residency, tax, and business activities can now, in theory, all be carried out via the portal.
Albania has been rocked by a number of data protection and privacy scandals in the last 18 months, including leaks from government institutions that have seen the names, phone numbers, car registration plates, employers, salaries, and more, in the public realm.
