Several prominent organizations in Lithuania, including Compensa Vienna Insurance Group, If Insurance, Lithuanian Roads Association, AD REM, INIT, and Balticum, have reportedly fallen victim to a cyberattack orchestrated by the NoName ransomware group. The threat actors have actively shared posts detailing the impact of the attack on Lithuania’s websites, highlighting issues such as inaccessibility and error messages. The attackers claim to have launched Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) missiles against the sites and criticized Lithuanian Ambassador Valdemaras Sarapinas for supporting Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, suggesting geopolitical motivations behind the attack.
The targeted companies, such as Compensa Vienna Insurance Group and If Insurance, experienced disruptions with messages indicating delays and server response issues. Some websites displayed a “took too long to respond” message, which could be indicative of a DDoS attack overwhelming servers with excessive traffic. DDoS attacks can hinder normal website functioning, leading to slow response times or server timeouts. The cyberattack is notable for its geopolitical context, linking it to Lithuania’s strong support for Ukraine in the ongoing conflict, as expressed by Ambassador Sarapinas.
The cyber incident comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, with Lithuania being a staunch supporter of Ukraine. The attackers’ condemnation of the Lithuanian Ambassador and their claim of launching DDoS attacks underscore the intersection of cyber threats with geopolitical conflicts. The incident raises concerns about the potential for cyberattacks to be used as a tool in broader geopolitical strategies, impacting organizations and countries that align with specific geopolitical stances.
