Estonia Blames Russia for Cyber Attacks

TALLINN, Estonia — Estonian websites have been under heavy attack for the last three weeks, and authorities are blaming Russia for playing a part in the cyber warfare.

The Estonian government has said that its state and commercial websites, including a number of banks, are being bombarded by mass requests for information which are overwhelming their computer servers. Other targets of the "denial-of-service attacks" have included the Estonian foreign and defense ministries and leading newspapers and banks.

Officials have cut access to some servers from outside Estonia to prevent them from being attacked.

Estonian authorities said the attacks began after a Soviet war memorial in Tallinn was removed, an action that was condemned by the Kremlin.

Many of the attacks have come from Russia and are being hosted by Russian state computer servers, according to Tallinn officials. Moscow has denied any involvement.

A NATO spokesman said the organization was giving Estonia technical help.

"In the 21st century it's not just about tanks and artillery," NATO spokesman James Appathurai told BBC News. "We have sent one of our experts at the request of the Estonian authorities to help them in their defense."

Mikhail Tammet, head of IT security at Estonia's defense ministry, told the BBC that the attacks had affected a range of government websites, including those of the parliament and governmental institutions. He said Estonia was particularly vulnerable as much of its government is run online.

"Estonia depends largely on the Internet. We have e-government; government is so-called paperless ... all the bank services are on the Internet. We even elect our parliament via the Internet," Mr Tammet said.

"In the past few weeks it has been quite difficult for some government officials to read their emails on the web and to get access to the banks."

The Estonian defense ministry said that the cyber attacks have come from all over the world, but some have been hosted by Russian state servers, and that instructions on how to carry out cyber warfare are circulating on Russian websites.

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip has directly accused Russia of being responsible, pointing the blame at the Russian government. Internet experts from NATO and the European Union are helping to track down the culprits, but Estonian officials said that they have had no cooperation from Russia.

Russia — which has a large community of hackers and computer virus-writers — has been accused of mounting such attacks before in the U.S. and Ukraine. Moscow denies any involvement in the Internet attacks on Estonia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC that the allegations were "completely untrue."

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

European Industry Initiative Open Mind AI Asks EU to Be Included in AI Legislation Debate

New European industry initiative Open Mind AI penned a letter asking EU authorities to include adult companies and creators in ongoing discussions on setting up a legal framework for AI content.

Canadian Law Professor: Proposed Age Verification Bill 'Will Make Things Worse'

Leading Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail this week published an op-ed written by a legal scholar outlining fundamental issues with the Conservative-backed age verification bill currently making its way through Parliament.

UK Labour Government Confirms it Will Continue Baroness-Led 'Porn Review'

The U.K. Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed it will continue the controversial full review of British pornography laws ordered by former Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in July 2023.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for July and August

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of July and August from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

SWR Data Survey Probes Concerns About Political Attacks on Industry

SWR Data, an adult-sector market research firm led by industry veterans Mike Stabile and MelRose Michaels, has released data from its upcoming 2024 State of the Creator report, illustrating creators’ concerns about political attacks on the industry.

FSC Urges SCOTUS to Strike Down 'Unconstitutional' Texas Age Verification Law

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) urged the U.S. Supreme Court through a brief filed Monday to strike down Texas’ age verification law as unconstitutional.

Japanese Manga Industry Hit by Credit Card Companies' Anti-Porn Restrictions

Japanese manga retailers are reporting pressure from multinational credit card companies — many based in the U.S. and targeted by anti-porn religious conservatives — to censor their content if they wish to maintain their current payment processing arrangements.

Netherlands Government Continues Porn Probe Following Abuse Allegations

The Dutch government plans to continue investigating the local porn industry in the Netherlands, following a series of abuse allegations involving photographer and self-styled “model scout” Daniël van der W.

Clips4Sale Releases '20 Years of Fetish' Data Survey

Clips4Sale (C4S) has released a report based on 20 years of data and analysis to show how kink and fetish tastes have changed since the site began.

Grooby, Yanks Ink Website Management Deal

Grooby will begin managing Yanks.com under a new company, Blue.xxx.

Show More