Austria's foreign ministry hit by "serious cyber-attack"

The Austrian Foreign Ministry said it was facing a “serious cyber-attack” and that another “state actor” could be responsible.
The hack, which started on Saturday night and targeted the Ministry’s IT systems, came after Austria’s Greens backed the formation of a coalition government with the conservative People’s Party.
“The duration of the attack can’t be currently estimated”, Peter Guschelbauer, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, was quoted as saying by public broadcaster ORF.
As the attack was early detected, technical countermeasures were taken immediately and a coordination committee was set up, according to the foreign ministry’s joint statement with the interior ministry.
In the past, other European countries have fallen victims of similar attacks with Germany’s government IT network having faced a cyber-attack in March 2018, possibly conducted by the Russian Fancy Bear group.
However, Austria has experienced few large-scale cyber-attacks at a state level.
“Despite all the intensive security measures, there is no 100-percent protection against cyberattacks,” the joint statement also said.