The Maltese government has claimed that it has come under cyber-attack from a Russian-backed campaign to undermine it, amid worsening relations with the Kremlin.
Malta assumed the presidency of Europe’s Council of Ministers in January, an important position under which it chairs high-level meetings in Brussels and sets Europe’s political agenda. Since then, the Maltese government’s IT systems have seen a rise in attacks, according to a source working within its IT agency, a government body. He claimed the attacks, which have increased ahead of next month’s general election, are designed to damage the government.
Malta assumed the presidency of Europe’s Council of Ministers in January, an important position under which it chairs high-level meetings in Brussels and sets Europe’s political agenda. Since then, the Maltese government’s IT systems have seen a rise in attacks, according to a source working within its IT agency, a government body. He claimed the attacks, which have increased ahead of next month’s general election, are designed to damage the government.
Reportedly, there has been an increase of about 40% on the normal level of attacks; a confidential external risk assessment, seen by the Observer, identifies the Fancy Bears – a hacking collective that is often associated with the Kremlin – as a prime suspect.
The attacks come after recent claims from the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, that a foreign intelligence agency had suggested Malta would become a target for a Russian disinformation campaign. Muscat, the former academic and MEP, who has presided over a period of sustained economic growth and helped the island produce its first budget surplus in almost four decades, called an election after his government was hit by a series of corruption allegations that emerged following the release of the Panama Papers last year.
The attacks come after recent claims from the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, that a foreign intelligence agency had suggested Malta would become a target for a Russian disinformation campaign. Muscat, the former academic and MEP, who has presided over a period of sustained economic growth and helped the island produce its first budget surplus in almost four decades, called an election after his government was hit by a series of corruption allegations that emerged following the release of the Panama Papers last year.