“A large-scale cyber threat risk against Azerbaijan is observed. It appears that this time the attacks will be comprehensive. It is felt that foreign powers allocate significant financial resources for this.” Elvin Abbasov, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Information and Communication Technologies Industry Association, said this in an interview with Medianews.az.
He stated that currently, mass phishing attacks are being carried out on the Azerbaijani segment of the Telegram platform: “Simultaneously, individuals who want to obtain data leaked from Azerbaijan’s state institutions are posting announcements on DarkNet forums.
The recent trends observed in the field of cyber security indicate that information related to Azerbaijani citizens and organizations is openly put up for sale not only at the moment of the leak but also afterwards on DarkNet and 'leakdata store' forums.”
Medianews.az, receiving screenshots, Abbasov emphasized that as is clear from these images, announcements are posted under the heading “Azerbaijan Database Buyer” on forums such as Leakbase[.]: “The announcements use phrases like ‘I buy any database regarding Azerbaijan.’ This shows two main threats. First, a demand and supply market has formed – cybercriminals show special interest in the Azerbaijani market because this information can be used in financial frauds or social engineering attacks. Second, the buying and selling of information is openly conducted – individuals share contact channels via Telegram on the forums, which shows that the sales are real and ongoing.”
In his interview with Medianews.az, E. Abbasov listed the main sources of danger as follows:
- Leaked databases: information from state institutions, banks, telecommunications companies, and private organizations.
- Customer and citizen data: first name, last name, phone number, e-mail, address, and financial indicators.
- Corporate accounts: work emails, internal system accesses, and passwords.
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az
