US Embassy "Appalled" by Reports of Cyberattack against Georgian Ministry of Health

The US Embassy in Tbilisi has said it is "appalled" by reports of a cyberattack carried out on September 1 against the computer system of the Georgian Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs.

"The irresponsible attack attempted to illegally access pandemic management information stored in the databases of the Ministry and its units, including those of the Richard G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lugar Center has played a vital role in Georgia’s response to the outbreak, helping to protect the health of the Georgian people and save lives. The United States condemns this reckless, dangerous cyberattack. The security of cyberspace depends on the responsible behavior of nations. We, together with like-minded members of the international community, will abide by our commitment to an international framework of responsible state behavior in cyberspace. We call on those acting outside of that framework to do so as well and to stop their malicious activities immediately," reads the statement released by the Embassy. 

"On September 1, 2020, a cyber attack was carried out on the computer system of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia from one of the foreign countries, which was aimed at unlawful possession and use of medical records and pandemic management information stored in the databases of the central office and its structural units, including the Richard Lugar Center for Public Health Research in Tbilisi," the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia reported yesterday. 

The investigation is underway under Article 284 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

By Ana Dumbadze 

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