Cyber attack on Lugar Laboratory in Georgia – important information stolen
A cyber attack has been carried out on the Georgian Ministry of Health and the Lugar laboratory.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs says the cyberattack was executed on the territory of a neighboring country. Some of the stolen documents have been uploaded to a foreign website and are available to the general public.
The cyberattack on the computer system of the Ministry of Health took place on September 1. Its purpose was to obtain medical records from the databases of the central office of the ministry and its structural units, including the Lugar Lab, as well as important information on managing the pandemic.
“Part of the documentation obtained as a result of illegal entry into the system is currently uploaded on a foreign webpage and is available to the public. At the same time, these pages are loaded with obviously falsified information, deliberately forged documents aimed at intimidating the public and generating distrust,” the Interior Ministry said.
The Interior Ministry has already launched an investigation.
To obtain assistance in a quick and effective investigation of this complex and specific crime, Georgia will in the next few hours appeal to partner countries, the Interior Ministry said.
A large-scale cyber attack on the websites of the Georgian government took place on October 28, 2019.
What is known about Russian cyber attacks on Georgia
Last year, the official website of the presidential administration, as well as the websites of courts, local authorities, non-governmental organizations and the media, fell victim to a cyber attack.
As a result of hacker attacks, Imedi and Maestro TV companies had to suspend broadcasting. The holding suffered heavy financial and technical losses as a result of the attack.
The investigation, which the Georgian side carried out jointly with the United Kingdom, the United States and other international partners, established that the military intelligence of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU) was behind this cyber attack.
There is also a known GRU unit that worked against Georgia. It is the main center of special technologies of the General Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GTsST), known in cyber networks as “command 74455” and also as “sand worm”.
