Fico claimed a “massive cyberattack” and blamed Ukraine. Official Kyiv responded
Kyiv • UNN
The Slovak prime minister announces a large-scale cyberattack on the national insurance company, accusing Ukraine and the opposition. According to media reports, it was a phishing attack, while Ukraine's Foreign Ministry denies the accusations.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced a "massive cyberattack" on the national insurance company, linking it to the protests, the opposition, Ukraine and foreign organizations. This was reported by the Slovak edition of Dennik N, UNN reports.
According to the publication, in the case of the Slovak General Insurance Company, it is probably a phishing attempt to fraudulently obtain confidential information, and not a "large-scale cyberattack," as Fico claims.
Without any evidence, the prime minister links the incident to the protests, the opposition, Ukraine, and non-governmental organizations that are allegedly funded from abroad.
The prime minister said the attack began at noon today, and its goal was to obtain confidential data on patient diagnoses.
"If it had been successful, it could have paralyzed medical care in Slovakia. We are currently successfully countering the attack, but we cannot fully predict what will happen in the next few minutes or hours," Fico said.
He also said that the operation of the eRecept (electronic prescription system) or access to medical services for patients with heart disease and cancer could be at risk.
In his opinion, this is part of a "classic scenario of eliminating recalcitrant governments" that have a different position. He mentioned Ukraine and the European Union, and expressed his belief that representatives of the opposition, foreign instructors, NGOs organized from abroad, and the media are behind this.
Despite these statements, the insurance company's website and mobile application are working.
The company's spokeswoman said she could neither confirm nor deny the information.
Health Minister Kamil Shashko said that the insurance company and the National Center for Medical Information are operating in crisis mode on his order. This also applies to other institutions subordinate to the ministry, including state hospitals. However, medical care is not under threat.
"I can confirm that this is a rather unprecedented attack," the minister said.
Add
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has already responded to Fico's accusations.
"We categorically reject the hints of Ukraine's involvement in the cyberattack against a health insurance company in Slovakia. We once again call on the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to stop looking for imaginary enemies in Ukraine, which is friendly to Slovakia and the Slovak people," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
