Cyberattacks persist in Moldova, disrupting public services on Monday
Several digital public services in the Republic of Moldova will remain unavailable on Monday, October 26, after authorities detected a new attempted cyberattack on government systems. Among the affected services are those related to the submission and issuance of permits and authorizations. About 15 specialists are working to secure the platforms, and authorities have not yet announced when they will restore full functionality.
A new attempt at forced access was identified and blocked overnight from Saturday to Sunday, around 02:00. According to the E-Governance Agency (AGE), the Cybersecurity Agency (ASC), and the Information Technology and Cybersecurity Service (STISC), some platforms remain offline as a precautionary measure to allow for infrastructure verification and to prevent potential security breaches.
The incident from previous days has entered a new phase, and issues accessing public services are expected to persist into the beginning of the week, Government spokesperson Dumitru Ciorici said.
"The cyberattack from the past few days has continued into a new phase. Approximately 15 state cybersecurity specialists are continuously monitoring the situation and blocking the attacks," said Dumitru Ciorici.
Due to the cyberattacks, citizens and entrepreneurs will be unable to request various documents online, including urban planning certificates for design, phytosanitary certificates for export and re-export, sanitary-veterinary authorisations for transport vehicles, and trade-related notifications. Furthermore, services will be unavailable for the notification of cosmetic products, the authorization of medicine imports (as well as materials required for their production), registration in the field of food safety, the registration of biocidal products, and the issuance of accreditation certificates and sanitary approvals for food and non-food products that impact public health.
Technical teams from the three institutions have been working around the clock since October 23. The checks aim to gradually restore services without exposing citizens' and companies' data to additional risks.
Authorities warn that the situation may cause difficulties for citizens and entrepreneurs, especially as public institutions resume operations and the volume of online requests increases at the start of the week.
"We are aware of the difficulties this situation may cause; however, protecting data and preventing further attacks remain our top priorities," stated the three institutions in a joint press release.
For now, no complete list of affected services has been provided, and no exact timeline for full restoration has been established.
The institutions also urge the public to remain vigilant against potential fraud attempts via phone, SMS, or email. Malicious actors may pose as employees of public institutions or banks, using personal details—such as full names or national identification numbers (IDNP)—to gain the trust of their victims. Citizens are advised not to disclose passwords, authentication codes, or banking information, and to avoid clicking on suspicious links.
On the night of October 22, several digital public services were targeted in a large-scale cyberattack involving about 11 million access requests. According to the authorities, the attackers sought to illegally obtain citizens' personal data. Although authorities contained the incident on October 23, security checks have continued.
