Slovakia has detected a large-scale series of aggressive cyberattacks targeting government institutions, transport infrastructure and energy sector facilities. The campaign aimed to breach internal networks of ministries, steal confidential government documents and disrupt critical digital systems, according to Spectator.
Slovakia’s National Agency for Network and Electronic Services (NASES), together with the Slovak Information Service (SIS), issued an emergency warning about a prolonged wave of targeted cyberattacks against key elements of the country’s state infrastructure.
According to the agencies’ report, technical analysis of malware, digital traces and the server infrastructure used in the attacks indicates with a high degree of confidence that the operation was linked to the hacker group Armageddon, which is reportedly connected to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
The main targets included electronic systems of Slovakia’s Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the National Council, as well as information networks of major energy operators and railway logistics hubs.
The hackers used sophisticated phishing campaigns involving compromised accounts of EU diplomatic institutions, deploying malware designed for long-term access and unauthorized data collection.
According to Slovak cybersecurity experts, the operation had a dual purpose: to obtain confidential government communications related to military supplies and foreign policy, and to plant digital backdoors in electricity grid and transport management systems that could potentially be used for remote disruption during a crisis.
NASES specialists, together with invited NATO cybersecurity experts, carried out measures to isolate infected network segments, reset compromised accounts and strengthen security protocols. Authorities said they managed to prevent the leak of highly classified documents, but warned that attempts by Russia-linked hackers to infiltrate Slovak systems continue on an ongoing basis.
