Major cyberattack hits Slovakian land registry

Slovakia's Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Office, or UGKK, had its systems taken down and offices closed following a suspected ransomware attack last week, which Agriculture Minister Richard Takac says is the most significant cyber intrusion faced by the country so far, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

Additional information has been scant but the intrusion, which comes amid growing Slovakia-Ukraine hostility, was found to be strongly linked to Ukraine, according to Takac, who noted the use of backups to recover impacted systems while reassuring the lack of evidence suggesting data misuse. Ukraine, which also had its state registers targeted in a massive cyberattack last month, has yet to respond to the accusations. However, uncertainties regarding the state of UGKK's backups could prolong systems restoration to a months-long affair, which may further impact land registry data-dependent sectors, said cyber policy expert Pavlina Pavlova. "The real estate and mortgage markets are paralyzed, property transactions are stalled, purchases delayed, and some connected public services, such as issuing parking permits in Bratislava, are rendered inaccessible," said Pavlova.