BUCHAREST, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Romania's Cyberint National Centre on Friday counteracted a cyberattack attempt against a governmental institution, announced the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI).
"A cyberattack attempt has been identified against a government institution in Romania, most likely originating with players previously associated with such incidents," SRI spokesman Ovidiu Marincea was quoted as saying by local media.
The attack has been prevented from materializing itself, and damage has also been deflected, with the targets as well as the attack methodology having been identified, after efficient cooperation among institutions, a release of SRI added.
According to SRI, the attempt most likely originated with an entity associated with the APT28/Fancy Bear cybercrime ring.
"This attempt is no novelty, as thousands of cyberattacks are perpetrated daily against institutions, entities and persons in the virtual space, and Romania is no exception," SRI said.
The National Centre Cyberint operates under the coordination of the Romanian Intelligence Service.
According to international reports, a group of elite hackers pretended to be NATO representatives to send a phishing e-mail thread to diplomatic organizations from Europe, including to the Foreign Ministry of Romania, yet the latter did not confirm whether it was the institution in question.
