Albania's Institute of Statistics suffers cyberattack, some systems affected

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Institute of Statistics reported Thursday it has suffered a cyberattack which affected some of its systems.

A statement said Institute of Statistics, or INSTAT, systems were “a target of a sophisticated cyberattack” on Wednesday.

After closing internet links and activating emergency protocols to protect data, experts determined that only “some of INSTAT systems were affected,” but not those for a recent census.

INSTAT is cooperating with authorities to identify the source and motives of the cyberattack, resume normal functioning and strengthen cybersecurity, the statement on its Facebook page said.

In December, a cyberattack hit the country’s Parliament website.

Albania also suffered a cyberattack in July 2022 that the government and international technology companies blamed on the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The attack, believed to be in retaliation for Albania sheltering members of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, or MEK, led the government to cut diplomatic relations with Iran two months later.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied it was behind the attack and said Iran has suffered cyberattacks from MEK.

The United States, NATO and the European Union supported NATO member Albania in the dispute.