• Zingaretti: unprecedented hacker attack, still ongoing

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02 August 2021 "We do not know the matrix of the cyber attack that has happened and is happening. All the hypotheses and options on the matrix of the attack are currently being evaluated by the investigators". This was stated by the president of the Lazio Region,

Nicola Zingaretti

, in a press conference broadcast live on TV to report on the

developments of the hacker attack suffered by the Lazio regional computer system

.



Whether it is a serious problem is the opinion of one of the best known cybersecurity and intelligence experts, engineer

Pierluigi Paganini

: "The statements of President Zingaretti confirm the seriousness of the incident. It was a ransomware attack that compromised the systems of the data processing and vaccine booking center. In response to the incident it was not possible to do anything but disconnect the systems from the network and shut them down to prevent the threat from spreading within the affected infrastructure.This

is an extreme measure

and the fact that after more than 24 hours it was not possible to restore the affected infrastructure highlights problems in the business continuity and disaster recovery processes that must be adopted to ensure that an essential service can continue even in the presence of an adverse event such as a cyber attack of vast proportions, Paganini explained to Rainews.it.



The matrix of the attack? Currently unknown


Nicola Zingaretti also evoked terrorism during the press conference: "At the moment we are defending our community from these terrorist attacks. Lazio is the victim of a criminal offensive, the most serious ever on our national territory", for then add: "We do not know the matrix of the attack and all the hypotheses on the matrix are being examined by the investigators" and that "the definition is not known". 



This is how Pierluigi Paganini comments on this passage: "President Zingaretti speaks of a terrorist attack shocked by the effects of what is, in reality, a" cyber "criminal attack. It is in no way a targeted attack, but of an

opportunistic offensive

  that has "punctured" one

structure not adequately protected

at that time. There has been talk of no-vax and hackers in the pay of foreign governments, but none of this has a real technical basis. "



Where did the attack start and who could be hit


On the possible perpetrators of the attack, there is still a lot of mystery and unconfirmed or denied hypotheses are running around. Rumors circulate in the world about the

compromise of an important Italian company

IT service provider that has the Lazio Region among its customers. We are talking about a giant, and if the news is confirmed we will soon discover that other large customers of this company may have been targeted. What worries me is the deafening silence around the incident: I understand well that there are investigations underway, but I am not aware that even in small circles composed of the main national companies,

information

is circulating

useful to prevent

this attack from having very other consequences. . ", concludes Paganini.