Russian hackers attack websites of Belgian state institutions during Zelenskyy's visit
The websites of several Belgian government agencies have been cyberattacked by pro-Russian hackers, presumably in response to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Belgium and its decision to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Source: European Pravda, citing VRT.
On 12 October, the websites of the Royal Palace, the Prime Minister and the Parliament of Brussels were disabled. At the same time, a message appeared on the Belgian Prime Minister's website: "We are coming to Belgium to destroy Russia-hating sites."
Although some websites have since been restored, the cyberattack continued as of the morning of 13 October. These are DDoS attacks, during which websites are overloaded with many requests to slow down or crash them.
Miguel De Bruycker, Managing Director General of the Centre for Cyber Security Belgium, told VRT that this attack is likely a reaction by pro-Russian hackers to Belgium's support for Ukraine.
"It is a well-known phenomenon. The moment a country decides to support Ukraine, it becomes the victim of cyberattacks like these for one or more days," he said.
De Bruycker said that DDoS attacks are difficult to prevent because once the source of the attack is identified, the attackers move it to another location.
At the same time, a representative of the Centre for Cyber security Belgium emphasised that as a result of the attack, the hackers did not steal any confidential information – the hack "was just a bit of bullying", VRT reports.
Background:
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Brussels on 11 October, where, among other things, he took part in a Ramstein-format meeting for the first time. During his visit, Belgium announced that it will send several Belgian F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine starting in 2025.
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