There are some indications that a cyber attack against the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs may have leaked secret information, President Gitan Nauseda admitted in an interview with Delfi.lt on Thursday.
The fact that important documents for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were stolen was previously mentioned to Lithuanian public radio by Asta Skaisgirīte, Chief Foreign Adviser of Nauseda, allowing the possibility that there could be a connection between this fact and the events of 10 August. riots both near the Seimas, and in the illegal immigrant camp at the Rūdninkai landfill in Šalčininkai district.
“An investigation is underway and we will, of course, assess the damage caused by this cyber attack, but there are some indications that certain information has been leaked and is classified as ‘Secret,'” the president said in an interview.
In his words, the spill “could do great harm, especially to the Allies.”
“But this is potential damage that I am not yet able to disclose to the public,” Nauseda said, adding that she did not want to dramatize the situation or portray it in soft colors.
Meanwhile, according to the Lithuanian public broadcaster’s news portal Lrt.lt, hacking forums are spreading information that about one and a half million correspondence items with ambassadors abroad and NATO countries have been stolen from the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry’s mail servers, including certain documents marked “Secret”. There is also an offer to buy such stolen data.
According to the hackers, Lithuanian diplomats have revealed US secrets to Europe in correspondence, mainly regarding the future Russian-German gas pipeline “Nord Stream 2”, but the letters also discussed relations with Belarus and China.
It is currently unclear which documents may have been leaked and whether they are genuine. The last time a large-scale data leak was recorded, which was allegedly related to Russian cybercriminals, it was both genuine and forged documents, according to Lrt.lt.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday evening that it had experienced an attempt at an information cyber attack and reported it to the responsible authorities, which have launched an investigation. The ministry did not provide further information, but Rītis Rainis, director of the Lithuanian National Cyber Security Center, later confirmed that “some information has been received and is currently being investigated”, but he also acknowledged that no further comments could be made.-
The President’s Adviser, meanwhile, drew attention to the fact that at about the same time in Lithuania “many elements have coincided – unrest near the Seimas, unrest in Rūdninkai, information on the same day that important documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been stolen”.
“Too many coincidences to be accidental,” she said, noting that the president could make a final assessment after meeting with the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Darja Jaunišķi.
“It can already be said that the unrest has caused great damage to our country, because hostile autocratic forces use it to their propaganda in the information war, in which we are unfortunately at war,” Skaisgirīte added.
Foreign Ministry press secretary Vītaute Šmaižīte-Kuliešiene declined to comment on what she said this afternoon.
“We cannot comment on the words of the President’s Adviser. The Foreign Ministry issued a press release yesterday, and we will stick to it, ”she told the BNS news agency.
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