Russian hackers breached Finnish Transport Agency website for third time in a month
Russian hackers breached Finnish Transport Agency website for third time in a month (photo: freepik.com)
The Transport and Communications Agency in Finland has experienced a cyberattack for the third time in a month. Russian hackers have claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the agency's page on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
The third attack by Russian hackers occurred in the morning. Agency experts noticed a "Service Unavailable" error and a disruption of access to the website.
Traficomin sähköiset asiointipalvelut ovat tänään olleet palvelunestohyökkäyksen kohteena ja palveluihin pääsy on estynyt. Hyökkäyksen estotoimet ovat käynnissä ja palvelut pyritään palauttamaan takaisin mahdollisimman nopeasti. Pahoittelemme tilanteesta aiheutuvaa vaivaa.
— Liikenne- ja viestintävirasto Traficom (@TraficomFinland) September 23, 2023
The error was successfully resolved around noon, and the website resumed functioning. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Russian hacking group NoName 057(16).
Failures in the operation of the transport agency's website
The Transport and Communications Agency in Finland was first targeted by Russian hackers on September 7, 2023. Experts encountered a "Service Unavailable" error and resolved it. The same hacking group, NoName057(16), claimed responsibility for this attack.
The second attack occurred on September 18, 2023. Users reported that this attack affected fewer websites than the first one.
Russian hackers' attacks
Russian hackers frequently target government and commercial websites, portals, and institutions not only in Ukraine but also in other EU and NATO countries.
During the first half of 2023, the number of cyberattacks against Ukrainian intelligence agencies increased by 123% compared to the second half of 2022. Russian hackers, affiliated with GRU and FSB, target the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and agencies documenting Russian military crimes against Ukraine.
In April 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, during a meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, mentioned that government websites were not functioning due to cyberattacks. It's possible that Russian hackers were involved, but Trudeau emphasized that no attack would change Canada's stance towards Ukraine.
