TIRANA, Sept. 12, 2022 – A renewed cyber attack by Iranian-linked hackers caused problems over the weekend in Albania’s border and customs points where the electronic system had to be taken offline to protect it, officials said.
All entry and exit points saw delays as a result, with officials in some of them forced to register people’s movements in handwritten form. The affected system, known as TIMS, was back up and running as of Monday.
Prime Minister Rama said that Iran was to blame for the incident.
“Another cyber attack by the same aggressors, previously revealed and denounced by Albania’s friendly and allied nations. We continue to work around the clock with our partners to make our digital systems impenetrable,” Rama tweeted.
The U.S. State Department condemned Iran’s latest attack and renewed its pledge of supporting Albania’s cyber defense and punishing Iran for its actions against a NATO ally.
The U.S. Embassy in Tirana said Secretary Anthony Blinken had called Prime Minister Edi Rama to discuss the matter.
“We strongly condemn the Sept. 9 cyber attack on our NATO member, Albania. We will continue to work side by side with Albania and other friends and partners to bolster cyber defenses and hold harmful actors accountable,” said an early statement by USDS spokesman Ned Price.
The United States had earlier set renewed sanctions on Iran and officials there believed tied to the attack on Albania.
Cyber security experts are urging caution and increased defenses in both state and private security as it appears Iran has declared digital war on Albania, which recently cut off diplomatic ties with Iran over a massive mid-July attack on the e-Albania portal of state services.
Albanian and American experts worked with Microsoft to investigate the attack on Albania, and they have found that “without a shadow of a doubt Iran is behind them. Experts told Albanian media the attack had its roots in May 2021 and that four organizations related to the Iranian government targeted the government databases.
Before Tirana cut off ties completely and gave all Iranian diplomats 24 hours to leave the country, relations between Albania and Iran had deteriorated over the years, with Iranian diplomats up to an ambassador being expelled for unfriendly actions tied to Tirana’s agreement to provide asylum, at the request of the United States, to MEK, an Iranian dissident group. The attack is revenge for that decision and aims to create social strife, political experts told local media.
Prime Minister Rama said no significant data had been stolen during the latest attack on the TIMS system and the renewed defenses are showing resilience.
“Beyond the heavy feeling brought on by the intrusion into these systems, similar to when burglars break into a home and steal things, the reality is that the aggression has not at all succeeded in its objective,” Rama said on Twitter
Albania’s opposition, which strongly supported cutting off ties with Iran, is seeking a parliamentary hearing on the cyber attack, criticizing the government for not investing more and better in cyber security. Opposition representatives called for national unity on the matter.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the decision of the Albanian government to cut off diplomatic ties was “thoughtless and short-sighted in international relations.” But Tehran also accuses Albania of “hosting terrorists” after Tirana agreed, at the request of the United States, to offer asylum to hundrends of members of MEK, an Iranian dissident group.
Albania’s government’s decision to break off ties was an extreme measure in proportion to the seriousness of the mid-July Iranian state-sponsored cyber attack that crippled Albanian government systems, Prime Minister Rama said at the time.
Support for Albania’s decision has poured in from allies, including the United States and United Kingdom, as well as Saudi Arabia, all of which condemned the Iranian state for the cyber attack against Albania’s government that destroyed data and disrupted essential government services, including paying utilities, booking medical appointments and enrolling schoolchildren.
