In a sophisticated cyber-attack, pro-Russian hackers, identifying themselves as a “Just Evil” group, have claimed responsibility for infiltrating the military systems of Lithuania and other NATO countries, sparking concerns over cybersecurity and the resilience of military networks.
The cyber attack follows a report from the Lithuanian Armed Forces on 6 February, which indicated that a Russian hydroacoustic sonar device, designed for the detection and localization of submarines, was found on the Curonian Spit in Lithuania.
According to LRT, the Lithuanian Armed Forces detected a suspicious login attempt on 3 February to the user account of its ILIAS distance learning information system, a platform critical for military education and operational readiness.
The hackers alleged that they had gained access to the military systems of the US and the Baltic states, specifically mentioning the breach of Lithuania’s ILIAS system in a post on X, LRT reported.
Following the detection of this unauthorized access, the Lithuanian Armed Forces promptly disabled three servers hosted by the State Telecommunication Centre to mitigate any potential damage. “For this reason, three servers of the State Telecommunication Centre, hosting the ILIAS training system, have been disabled,” the Armed Forces disclosed to LRT.
In response to the security breach, the National Cyber Security Centre, in collaboration with the Lithuanian Armed Forces, has initiated a thorough investigation into the incident, which is currently classified as a medium cyber incident. The focus of the inquiry is not only to assess the full extent of the infiltration but also to ensure that no critical data was compromised. “No data has been leaked,” the Armed Forces assured, noting, however, that the investigation’s findings are pending and will provide a definitive conclusion.
As a precautionary measure and part of the remediation process, the ILIAS distance learning system remains disconnected from the external network and is undergoing updates to strengthen its security posture against future attacks.
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