BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 20. Large-scale cyberattacks have been carried out against state institutions over the past week, Head of Department at the State Service of Special Communication and Information Security of Azerbaijan, Nadir Novruzov, said at the 8th Summit of Heads of Information Security for State Institutions in Baku on Tuesday, Trend’s correspondent reports from the event.
According to Novruzov, cyberattacks against state institutions are observed on a regular basis.
"This is something we observe continuously. However, recently, and especially over the past week, we have observed large-scale cyberattacks targeting government institutions, their information resources, and their information systems," he explained.
Novruzov noted that these primarily take the form of DDoS attacks, aimed at disrupting the operations of government information systems.
"It’s somewhat difficult to identify the country of origin for these attacks. This is because DDoS attacks, especially large-scale ones, rely on 'botnets.' Botnets consist of compromised devices located in various parts of the world.
Therefore, we observe these DDoS attacks originating from diverse global locations, and it’s hard to attribute them to any specific country.
The recent attacks present challenges primarily regarding timely detection and the minimization of potential damage. In other words, the focus has shifted from mere cybersecurity to cyber-resilience," he added.
The primary objective of the summit is to foster the exchange of experience among the heads of information security within state institutions, strengthen cooperation in the fields of information security and cybersecurity, and discuss pressing issues related to modern technological challenges and the application of artificial intelligence.
The summit will cover topics such as the integration of artificial intelligence into public administration and digital infrastructure, the opportunities it presents, emerging cyber threats, the implementation of principles for a reliable and secure digital state, data management, as well as the identification, assessment, and management of information security and cybersecurity risks.
