On June 12, 2023, several Swiss federal agencies and state-linked companies experienced website inaccessibility due to a cyber-attack, as confirmed by Switzerland’s finance ministry. The attack, claimed by NoName, a pro-Russia threat group known for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, targeted Swiss entities and European organizations.
The Swiss authorities swiftly detected the attack and are working to restore website and application accessibility. NoName also claimed responsibility for a similar attack on the Swiss Parliament that occurred on June 7-8.
In addition to the website disruptions, Switzerland’s federal government announced an investigation into a ransomware attack on Xplain, a Swiss software vendor with connections to various government agencies, including the Swiss army, the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), and the national railway company (FSS).
Xplain had previously confirmed the attack, suspecting it originated from the Play ransomware group, believed to be based in Russia. The incident was believed to have occurred on June 3, prompting the government to take action and assess the impact on the affected agencies.
These cyber-attacks have raised concerns about the security and resilience of Switzerland’s digital infrastructure, highlighting the increasing threats posed by pro-Russia threat groups.
The Swiss authorities are actively investigating the incidents and implementing measures to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses, aiming to prevent future attacks and ensure the smooth operation of critical government services and systems.
