Romania’s eViza, eConsulat platforms targeted in cyber-attack

Romania’s Foreign Ministry (MAE) has reported that in the afternoon of March 13 and early March 14, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyber-attack was detected against the eviza.mae.ro and econsulat.ro platforms, but currently, all the digital systems of the MAE are functioning normally.

Following the cyber-attack, the websites recorded slowdowns in their operation and, for short periods of time, became inaccessible.

‘The protective equipment, together with MAE specialists, acted promptly and managed to significantly reduce the impact of the attack. Currently, all the digital systems of MAE are functioning normally,’ the ministry says

DDoS attacks are an artificial overload of digital traffic, with the aim of blocking access to a website. They do not involve accessing or compromising data unlike a hacking computer intrusion.

No sensitive information was accessed by the attackers, but the major inconvenience generated by such actions is the fact that the platforms temporarily become inaccessible for Romanian citizens, preventing the provision of the digital services they need, MAE says.

Globally, the frequency of such attacks is increasing, and Romania and government platforms have been repeatedly targeted in recent years.

MAE, in cooperation with specialised organisations, will continue to secure the protection of its digital systems and the continuity of its services. AGERPRES (RO – editing by: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN – writing by: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu)