Albania attributes the Iranian government to another alleged cyberattack incident against its computer systems used by their police force. The malicious cyberattack occurred Saturday last week.
According to the Albanian interior ministry, their national police’s computer systems were struck by a cyberattack after its cyber defence team conducted an initial investigation. Based on reports, a similar group of threat actors who committed an attack last July were also the culprit for this recent incident.
The attack prompted the Albanian authorities to temporarily shut down its computer control systems at border posts, airports, and seaports to contain the criminal act and secure the country’s systems.
Albania’s Prime Minister then confirmed the allegations of the cyberattacks by saying that the same Iranian-sponsored threat actors last July were also responsible for the cyberattacks the previous week.
Another cyberattack by the same attackers has already been exposed and condemned by Albania’s allied countries. For the time being, Albania continues to work diligently with their allies to make its digital systems more secure.
Albania has cut its relations with Iran.
The Albanian PM announced that its country’s diplomatic ties with Iran are over after several massive cyberattacks occurred in just a few months. Albania has already expelled Iran’s embassy staff after the separation.
Iran’s attacks were severe enough to cause a national emergency since they struck Albania’s National Agency for Information Society. The agency handled multiple government services specialising in the population’s desk services.
In addition, an essential part of the government, such as tax filing, was also impacted by the attack. Albania has already filed a report regarding the attack to the NATO Member States and its other allies.
Reports explained that the cyberattack’s damages might be considered minimal, but the objective of the threat actors was very malicious to be overlooked. The country asked Iran’s embassy inside Albanian to leave the country within a day.
The relationship between Iran and Albania weakened after the Tehran government offered shelter for the Iranian refugees. The United States, the UK, and NATO have all condemned the actions of the Iranian government toward Albania.
