Cyber Incident Victim: Greek National Police
Date:
Jan 2020
Location:
Greece
Summary
A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack disrupted multiple Greek government websites, including those of the prime minister, national police, fire service, and key ministries such as public order, interior, foreign affairs, and merchant marine. This marked the second such incident within a short period, following a prior cyberattack claimed by Turkish hacker group Anka Neferler Tim, which had hijacked parliamentary, ministerial, and stock exchange sites citing geopolitical tensions over Aegean Sea disputes and Greece's exclusion from a Libya-related peace conference. The latest attack coincided with diplomatic talks involving Libyan factions in Athens ahead of an international summit, though no group immediately claimed responsibility for this disruption.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On January 23, 2020, multiple Greek government websites experienced distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, causing significant disruptions to critical online services. The incident affected the official websites of the Prime Minister, the National Police, the Fire Service, and key ministries including Public Order, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Merchant Marine. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas publicly confirmed the cyberattack, stating it resulted in website malfunctions through intentional traffic overload. This marked the second major cyber incident targeting Greek digital infrastructure within a week, following a separate attack on January 16-17 that compromised parliamentary, economic, and stock exchange platforms. Technical details regarding attack vectors, duration of outages, or mitigation measures were not disclosed in official statements.
The earlier January attack had been claimed by Turkish hacker group Anka Neferler Tim, which asserted responsibility via Facebook for hijacking four high-profile government sites and the Athens Stock Exchange platform for approximately 90 minutes. Their stated motivation cited geopolitical tensions, specifically Greece's positioning regarding Turkey in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, along with objections to Greece's involvement in Libyan affairs. The timing coincided with military commander Khalifa Haftar's diplomatic meetings in Athens preceding the January 19 Berlin Conference on Libya, from which Greek representatives were excluded. While no group immediately claimed responsibility for the January 23 DDoS incidents, the recurrence highlighted persistent vulnerabilities in national infrastructure amid regional diplomatic friction. Operational impacts appeared limited to temporary service unavailability without reported data breaches or secondary compromises.