Lithuania reports massive government data leak: What's at risk
Photo: It is not yet known which country's hackers are involved (Getty Images)
Lithuanian authorities are on high alert for cyberattacks following a massive data breach involving more than 600,000 records from national registries, Euronews reports.
The Prosecutor General’s Office announces that the data breach primarily involved real estate and legal entity registries, which were accessed using the login credentials of institutions authorized to retrieve the data.
The head of the state-owned enterprise Center of Registers, Adrijus Jusas, resigned on Monday following the data breach.
According to prosecutors, authorities immediately implemented additional cybersecurity measures, including blocking the accounts of suspicious data users and restricting access with a requirement to update login credentials.
The prosecutor’s office, in turn, states that a foreign state is suspected of involvement. Although authorities did not specify which country they suspect, opposition politician Laurynas Kasčiūnas wrote on social media on Sunday that the data theft is believed to be an operation by Russian intelligence. He did not provide any evidence to support this claim.
Kaščiūnas warned that the addresses of intelligence officers, military personnel, diplomats, or politicians may have been accessed, which could potentially allow criminals to spy on or pressure their victims.
Lithuanians are particularly cautious, given that the country is one of the main targets of Russia’s hybrid war against Europe, which includes sabotage, arson, and vandalism, as well as influence operations and attacks on digital infrastructure and government systems.
Lithuania has also recently faced a series of drone sightings over its territory. Last Wednesday, residents of the capital, Vilnius, were ordered to take cover due to drone activity near the border with Belarus.
Speaking to Euronews after the incident, Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas warned that this was a new reality facing the Baltic states.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Vilnius tomorrow to meet with Baltic leaders to discuss coordinating a response to a likely escalation of drone incursions.
