Albania's Statistics Institute hit in cyberattack, Iran-linked group claims responsibility

Albania’s Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) was targeted in a "sophisticated" cyberattack on January 31st, according to the agency. While the attack impacted the agency’s website and email services, recent census data remains secure.

An Iran-linked hacking group named Homeland Justice claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging they stole over 100 terabytes of geographic and population data. However, their claims remain unverified as the data hasn’t been released publicly.

Following the attack, INSTAT disabled internet access and alerted relevant authorities. Albania’s cyber agency (AKCESK) formed a team of experts to assist with recovery efforts and analyze the attack methods.

While AKCESK confirmed the attack, they did not mention Homeland Justice’s involvement. However, cybersecurity researchers linked the attack to the group based on past incidents and the discovery of Iranian-linked malware in affected systems.

Homeland Justice has recently launched several cyberattacks against Albania, targeting government agencies, telecommunication companies, and the national airline. Researchers believe the group operates with state sponsorship. The Iranian government has consistently denied any involvement in cyberattacks targeting Albania, calling such accusations "baseless" and "unproven."

The attack resulted in the postponement of official statistics released by INSTAT. While the full extent of the data breach remains unclear, the agency confirmed the security of recent census data. Investigations into the attack are ongoing, with Albanian authorities collaborating with cybersecurity experts to analyze the incident and bolster their defenses against future threats.