Russian Foreign Ministry Website Down During BRICS Summit After ‘Massive’ Cyberattack
Russia has reported a cyberattack. State-sponsored cyberattacks are on the rise worldwide. | Credit: Anadolu/ Getty Images.
- A cyberattack took down the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.
- Government spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the cyberattack was “unprecedented in scale.”
- State-sponsored cyberattacks are on the rise worldwide.
According to internal statements, a cyberattack has taken down the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website during the intergovernmental BRICS summit.
On Wednesday, Oct. 23, government spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the ministry had been targeted by a denial-of-service attack (DDoS).
Russian Ministry Targeted in Cyberattack
Russia hosted world government representatives at the BRICS summit when the cyberattack occurred. The attack postponed the ministry’s press briefing by four hours.
“A massive cyberattack from abroad began this morning on the infrastructure of the official website, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s portal,” Zakharova said on Thursday.
The gov spokesperson confirmed that despite regularly experiencing similar attacks, Wednesday’s DDoS on the ministry was “unprecedented in scale.”
The BRICS summit took place in Kazan from Oct. 22 – 24.
Japan Faces Cyberattack
The cyberattack in Russia comes a week after a DDoS took down the website of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan.
According to Recorded Future, multiple pro-Russian hacktivists, including the Cyber Army of Russia, took responsibility for the attack.
In addition to the LDP, the cyberattack also impacted local and state government websites.
The hackers claimed they targeted the country in response to a planned military exercise by the U.S. and Japan.
Russia has heavily criticized the Keen Sword 25 initiative, which is designed to increase the combat readiness and interoperability of Japanese and U.S. forces.
Cyberattacks on the Rise
Countries worldwide are raising the alarm as the frequency and sophistication of state-sponsored cyberattacks increase.
The growing reliance on digital infrastructure for critical services and geopolitical tensions have made cyberspace a major battlefield for nation-states.
According to a recent report from cybersecurity firm Absolute, half of enterprises in the U.K. said they were attacked by an “increasing number” of state-sponsored threat actors over the past year.
The report surveyed 250 CISOs and found that more than two-thirds (69%) suffered a financial loss from ransomware attacks.
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