Pro-Russian Collective Launches Cyber Attacks on Lithuania

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On Monday, Lithuania’s National Cyber Security Center (NKSC) warned of intense and ongoing DDoS attacks against Lithuania’s Secure National Data Transfer Network, as well as other governmental institutions and private companies in the country.

The pro-Russia cyber collective Killnet has claimed responsibility for the DDoS attacks on the Lithuanian government and other entities throughout the country over the closure of transit routes within the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Threatpost.com reports that the threat group won’t let up until Lithuania opens trade routes to and from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. 

These attacks disrupted access to user services of the secure data network and were presumably launched in retaliation to the Lithuanian government’s announcement on June 18 that it would close routes between the country and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad for the transport of goods, according to Flashpoint.

On June 25, Flashpoint analysts observed chatter regarding a plan for a mass-coordinated attack to take place on June 27, which Killnet referred to as ‘judgment day. In retrospect, this conversation was likely a reference to Monday’s attacks.

This year alone, Killnet reportedly already has targeted Romania, Moldova, Czech Republic and Italy with cyber-attacks.