Hellenic Public Properties Co (HPPC), responsible for managing Greece’s state real estate assets, faced Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks on November 8, as reported by the media. The incident has triggered criticism from opposition MPs directed at the conservative government, citing concerns about the country’s cybersecurity approach.
Opposition SYRIZA MP George Karameros emphasized the need for a comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy, citing what he perceives as the government’s superficial handling of cyber threats. The attack on HPPC underscores the urgency for a coordinated approach to cybersecurity, according to Karameros.
DDoS attacks, aimed at disrupting system traffic, often demand ransom for restoration. Despite the breach affecting HPPC’s information systems, the impact on operations was limited and restorations are underway. The company assured that no data breaches were detected and promptly notified the Greek Data Protection Authority and National Cyber Security Authority.
This incident isn’t an isolated case within Greece’s public sector. Recent attacks targeted entities like the national natural gas system operator, DESFA, where cyber extortionists, Ragnar Locker, claimed responsibility for a breach, posting data on the dark web. Earlier instances include a cyber attack on the school exam question database causing disruptions and similar ransomware incidents impacting hospitals and Greek Post’s computer systems in January and March 2022, respectively.
Efforts to gather additional information from HPPC were unfruitful as no response was received by the time of publication. HPPC manages a diverse portfolio encompassing apartments, hotels, buildings, warehouses, and marinas spread across the country, raising concerns about the potential vulnerabilities in the nation’s critical infrastructure.
