Cyber Incident Victim: Slovakia
Date:
Jan 2023
Location:
Slovakia
Summary
A series of coordinated cyber incidents targeted Slovakia's digital infrastructure, attributed to the Russian group Anonymous Russia. The attacks employed distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) techniques aimed at disrupting critical services. The country's National Security Office detected the activity and issued public warnings about potential follow-on attacks, while offering assistance through its national cybersecurity response team SK-CERT for affected organizations. Security authorities refrained from disclosing additional operational details about the ongoing situation.
| 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
The National Security Office of Slovakia (NBÚ) detected a series of coordinated cybersecurity incidents targeting Slovakia’s cyber infrastructure beginning on or around January 1, 2023. These attacks were attributed to the Russian threat group anonymous.ru, also identified as Anonymous Russia, and employed distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) techniques aimed at disrupting service availability. The NBÚ characterized the incidents as persistent and methodical, indicating a deliberate campaign against Slovak digital assets. While the specific targets were not disclosed, the agency confirmed the attacks impacted multiple sectors within the nation’s cyber domain. The NBÚ promptly initiated incident response protocols and issued a public warning on January 13, 2023, advising organizations to remain vigilant against further attacks.
The DDoS campaign caused measurable disruptions to online services, though the NBÚ did not quantify the operational or financial impacts. In response, the agency activated Slovakia’s National Cybersecurity Center (SK-CERT) to coordinate mitigation efforts and assist affected entities. Organizations were directed to report incidents to SK-CERT via email at [email protected] for technical support. The NBÚ emphasized its operational readiness to contain threats but declined to disclose additional technical or tactical details about the attacks, citing security concerns. No further public updates were provided following the initial advisory as the agency shifted to non-public response measures.