After the University of Cyprus, whose electronic systems were hacked, a new cyberattack also took place against the Department of Lands and Surveys.

According to information, these are attacks with malicious ransomware and, at least in the case of the University of Cyprus, ransom has been requested in order to “repair the damage”.

In recent days, the University of Cyprus has been working feverishly to restore systems and regain data, while – as the Commissioner of Electronic Communications, Giorgos Michailidis, reported with regard to the Department of Lands and Surveys – a team working together with the Department of Informatics Services of the state has already been dispatched, which is currently assessing the extent of the attack.

Apart from today’s announcement by the Department of Lands and Surveys about a technical problem, there has been no further report on the extent of the cyberattack and when its Portal will resume operation.

Mr. Michailidis commented that the Department is a critical infrastructure, since it is a government structure and contains personal data, also confirming the cyberattack on the University of Cyprus last week, which is still experiencing problems with its website.

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Mr. Michailidis pointed out that the University of Cyprus prevented the worst-case scenario with this cyberattack, since it manages the .cy code, and in the event of interception of these data, “the state would have shut down”.

In fact, he himself explained that usually in ransomware attacks stolen information is locked and ransom is asked for in order to unlock it. Furthermore, data is also stolen followed by threats to make it public.

He pointed out that if there is no backup, one will be forced to pay and even if you do and recover the data, there is no guarantee that the hackers will not return. Thus, he emphasized that it is very important to keep backups and store them on a different network so that they are secured.

Due to technical problems on the “Land Registry Portal” website, all transactions and appointments at the District Land Registry Offices have been postponed.

Finally, Mr. Michailidis mentioned that everyone should understand that cyberattacks are now a daily phenomenon and that is why both government agencies, state infrastructure systems, and businesses must establish cyber security measures.

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