Communications Commissioner: Cyprus could be faced with more cyberattacks

It is possible that Cyprus' infrastructure could be faced with more cyberattacks Commissioner of Communications George Michaelides told the Cyprus News Agency on Saturday, following incidents on the airports, a Bank and the Electricity Authority.

He went on to say that there should be no panic, however caution is required.

Invited to say whether Cyprus’ proximity to the Middle East and the volatile situation is to blame for the island becoming a target, the Commissioner noted that attacks can occur at any time and constant alertness is needed.

Michaelides said that the authorities are not doing anything different just because of the situation in our region, noting that they are working 24/7 and they are in constant contact with Cyprus’ infrastructures. According to the Commissioner, their mode of operation has not changed.

Asked whether we are well prepared to deal with other cyberattacks, the Commissioner said that we are prepared. But he went on to underline that no one can say that they are fully prepared and if they say so, they will be the next victim of cyberattacks.

He said that we need to be ready and in case of an attack to be able to recover and get back on operation and restore the services quickly and recover the data.

He refrained from replying to a question whether, in the event that Cyprus faces a massive number of cyberattacks, there are organizations that are not ready to repel or recover.

The Commissioner just said that there are always organizations that are more prepared and others that are less prepared. But he noted that whatever the case, whenever there is an incident Digital Security Authority will assist in dealing with it.

He said that the Digital Security Authority is a member of a European network for the coordination of the implementation of the cyber security strategy.

Michaelides said that we need to be prepared but not to panic.

Speaking to Cyprus News Agency, the President of the Board of Electricity Authority George Petrou said that the EAC was the victim of a cyberattack Friday evening and it dealt successfully with it.

Petrou said that EAC constantly monitors the security of its systems and has adopted strict measures to protect its digital infrastructure.

He went on to say that they have developed strong protocols to prevent and respond to potential cyber-attacks, pointing out that security and uninterrupted operation of their services remains their first priority.