Prime Minister Vasile Tofan has commented on the cyberattack targeting information systems in the Republic of Moldova, saying that such incidents are a reality the authorities cannot ignore. The head of government stated that cybersecurity will remain a priority as hybrid attacks have continued for several years.
According to Tofan, the authorities must invest in strengthening cyber defences, including to address vulnerabilities that can be identified with the help of artificial intelligence.
“I think everyone understands that hybrid attacks did not start today or yesterday. We have been targets of these attacks for years, and the reality is that, including in the cyber domain, we must be prepared for such attacks to become more frequent,” the prime minister said at a joint press conference in Chisinau with his Romanian counterpart, Luca Niculescu.
Referring to the measures taken following the incident, Tofan said that approximately 82 critical services had been monitored and some had been repaired. Services that cannot be safely restored remain temporarily shut down. The prime minister stressed that protecting citizens’ data and preventing similar incidents are key government priorities.
He also noted that cybersecurity incidents are a concern for European Union member states as well. According to a report published on September 22 by the EU Agency for Cybersecurity, more than 8,000 incidents were recorded, nearly 2,500 of which affected the public sector.
Hackers extracted data linked to approximately 750,000 Moldovans from government systems, according to information released by the Electronic Governance Agency. Officials also reported that the attempted attacks targeted around one million people.
The unauthorised access attempts took place between October 19 and 23. After identifying the incident, the Electronic Governance Agency ordered checks of 82 digital services and temporarily suspended services exposed to risk, along with a number of information systems. Officials said the intervention isolated the attack and prevented further compromise.