• Based on the gravity and nature of the attack, officials believe that it might have been carried out by a “state actor.”
• The attack came on the same day when Austria’s Greens nodded to go-ahead with a coalition with the People’s Party.

Austria’s foreign ministry faced a cyberattack on its information system in the late hours of Saturday, January 4, 2020.

What happened?

Officials from Austria’s foreign ministry disclosed a “serious cyber attack” suggesting that another country could be behind this.

While no one’s sure, but, as a matter of coincidence, the attack came on the same day when Austria’s Greens nodded to go-ahead for a coalition with the country’s conservatives, the People’s Party, at a congress in Salzburg.

“Despite all intensive security measures, there is never 100 percent protection against cyber-attacks,” the ministry said.

What followed?

The interior and foreign ministries immediately released a statement on the attack. According to experts, reading through the gravity and nature of the attack, it might have been carried out by a “state actor.”

More info

Other European countries have fallen victim to similar attacks in the past. The German government’s IT network experienced a serious cyber-attack in March 2018.

However, last year, the EU acquired powers to punish those outside the block who launch cyberattacks on hospitals and banks, sway elections, and steal company secrets or funds.