“Recently, cyberattacks against Azerbaijan have intensified. Especially this week, state portals and internet services were targeted by DDoS attacks. Delta Telekom, one of the main ‘backbone’ operators providing internet traffic to the country, has been subjected to a large-scale DDoS attack,” said Elvin Abbasov, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Information and Communication Technologies Industry Association, in an interview with Medianews.az.
E. Abbasov recalled that as a result of the attack on Delta Telekom, on August 21, temporary delays occurred in the services of some operators and providers, but internet continuity was ensured in a short time by redirecting to alternative ‘backbone’ networks.
It should be noted that on the same day, a cyberattack was carried out on the website of Azerbaijan Railways OJSC, as well as on the ‘ADY Mobile’ mobile application. Consequently, some operations on these platforms, including ticket sales, experienced technical difficulties. Urgent measures were taken to prevent the cyberattack, and the normal operation of ADY’s website and mobile application, as well as all of its digital resources, was ensured.
E. Abbasov believes that these attacks did not originate from the same source: “One is a mass DDoS attack against state infrastructures, while the other is a targeted attack focused on a strategic facility. It is observed that both hacker groups receive strong financial support from abroad and are coordinated. Such attacks demonstrate that Azerbaijan’s internet infrastructure must be more agile and resilient. National coordination on cybersecurity is more important than ever. This is not only a technical issue but also a strategic one.”
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az
