Russian hackers block Bulgarian government websites in cyberattack

State institutions come under attack, possibly by Russian hacking groups, Bulgarian Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev wrote in Twitter, commenting on the mass DDoS attack on the website of the Bulgarian President's administration on October 15.

"The prosecution service, together with the security services, will protect the Bulgarian national interest and that of our European partners from harmful interference," Bulgarian New Agency cites Geshev as saying.

At a news conference, Deputy Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, who is also National Investigation Service Director, said that the cyber attack came from the Russian city of Magnitogorsk. In his words, it is not yet clear whether it was made by a single hacker or a group of hackers.

Sarafov explained that the attack has been traced back to its beginning via specialized software. He voiced hope that international legal assistance would help identify the persons behind the attack. Sarafov that this is not the first hacker attack that comes from Russia, recalling the attack on Bulgarian Posts in April 2022, which has also come from Russia.

Earlier on October 15, the Sofia City Prosecution Office said that, acting on its own initiative, it has ordered a check in relation to media information about a hacker attack against Bulgarian websites of the DDoS type. The check will be conducted by State Agency National Security and the Interior Ministry's Chief Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the materials gathered will be presented to the prosecution service to determine whether there are grounds for opening pretrial proceedings.