Armenia denies email breach amid claimed sale of stolen government records

Armenia has repudiated the compromise of its email infrastructure after threat actor dk0m advertised the sale of nearly 8 million government records allegedly pilfered from the country's notification system, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Initial investigation has shown that the dataset, which was touted to include police and judiciary communications, may have originated from the electronic civil litigation, according to Armenia's Public Relations and Information Center, which noted an ongoing probe into the incident. Information-stealing malware was noted by CyberHUB-AM researchers to have been used by dk0m to determine government portal access prior to data repackaging and reselling. Such data, which included screenshots from August 2024, could present increased social engineering threats to Armenians.

"Citizens could be targeted with highly convincing scam messages referencing real case numbers, fines, or enforcement actions, increasing the likelihood of panic-driven responses or compliance," said CyberHUB-AM.