Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry to Undergo Check Following January Reports on Cyber Attack

The Ministry of Digital Development (MCRIAP) will conduct an unscheduled inspection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following reports on a cyber attack, Orda.kz reports.

The State Technical Service has been monitoring attacks using CherrySpy and Hatvibe files against the Foreign Ministry since the second half of 2023, MCRIAP stated in response to an official inquiry.

While MCRIAP and the State Technical Service had previously assessed the Foreign Ministry's technical security last year, new circumstances have prompted another inspection.

The Ministry revealed that they were aware of the situation before the cybersecurity firm Sekoia published their report on the incident.

To strengthen information protection, security systems are being installed on all workstations, including equipment used in Kazakhstan's foreign missions. Continuous monitoring of information systems' security levels is in place, along with regular software updates and improvements to cyber attack resilience, MCRIAP assured.

When asked about Sekoia's assessment that Russian hackers were likely behind the attack, MCRIAP considered such conclusions premature.

The Foreign Ministry stated that information security falls outside their jurisdiction.

The cyber attack, revealed in mid-January, was reportedly part of a broader campaign targeting strategic information in Central Asian countries.

Analysts identified 18 infected documents.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny