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Georgia Accuses Russia’s GRU of October Cyberattack

Photo: mfa.gov.ge

The massive cyberattack of October 28, 2019 against the websites of Georgian government and private agencies, “was planned and carried out by the Main Division of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” Georgian Foreign Ministry announced on February 20.

The massive cyberattack targeted the websites of the Georgian President’s Administration, common courts, city halls and city councils, as well as non-governmental organizations and media outlets. The homepages of the hacked websites were replaced by the photo showing Georgia’s ex-President Mikheil Saakashvili with a caption “I’ll Be Back.”

“The above-mentioned cyber-attack was targeted at Georgia’s national security and was intended to harm Georgian citizens and government structures by disrupting and paralyzing the functionality of various organisations, thereby causing anxiety among the general public,” the Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry condemned the cyberattack, saying it “goes against international norms and principles, once again infringing Georgia’s sovereignty in order to hinder the country’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and democratic development.”

“The above-mentioned incident emphasizes the importance of the Georgian Government’s efforts to strengthen cyber security at the national level and again demonstrates the need to build international partnerships on cyber-security,” the statement reads.

The Foreign Ministry said, Georgia “will continue close cooperation with partners, strengthening cyber-security at the national level in order to minimize such risks and potential threats in the future,” and called on the international community to react.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)