Takac: Cyber-attack on UGKK Biggest in Slovak History

Bratislava, December 10 (TASR) - The cyber-attack that hit the Geodesy, Cartography, and Cadastre Office (UGKK) earlier this week was the biggest in the history of the independent Slovakia, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) told a news conference following a special meeting of the Security Council on Friday morning. Takac declared that the office has all its data backed up and that no one will lose their property. "A similar big cyber-attack on the same network was carried out on Wednesday (January 8) and Thursday (January 9) in Russia, and there are strong indications and suspicions that these attacks probably came from Ukraine. So we're in a situation in which such cyber-attacks are standard across the world," stated Takac. UGKK and the Interior Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that UGKK's information system, which is used by land registry departments of district offices, had been hit by a large-scale cyber-attack from abroad. The offices of land registry departments have been temporarily closed as a precaution. The Office for Combating Organised Crime (UBOK) is dealing with this case of suspected unauthorised interference with the real estate registry computer system. UGKK chairman Juraj Celler told a news conference on Thursday that no alterations to the home ownership database are being made, neither the owners nor ownership relationships are being changed. The Office for Combating Organised Crime (UBOK) is dealing with this case of suspected unauthorised interference with the real estate registry computer system. ko/df