Ransomware chaos: Slovak cadastre paralysed, Ukraine blamed
An unprecedented hacker attack on the Slovak Office of Geodesy, Cartography, and Cadastre has paralysed the operation of offices and banks. The attackers encrypted data and are demanding a multimillion-pound ransom. Prime Minister Robert Fico suggests a Ukrainian link in the matter.
The scale of the ransomware attack on the Slovak cadastre office turned out to be exceptionally extensive, leading to the complete paralysis of the property registration system. The hackers gained access to the IT infrastructure on Sunday, 5 January 2025.
Critical consequences for the state and citizens
The blocking of access to the property registry caused a domino effect throughout Slovakia's administrative and banking systems. Citizens cannot take out mortgages, change residency registrations, or obtain building permits. Former office head Ján Mrva revealed problematic security conditions, stating, "The office uses computers from 2008, and IT experts were laid off."
Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč assures that the office has backup copies of the data and no one will lose their assets. However, according to media reports, the lack of comprehensive backups may significantly prolong the system restoration process.
Fico suggests Ukraine is behind the attack
Prime Minister Robert Fico stated during a meeting of the European Parliament committee that one version being considered is that the attack originated from Ukrainian territory. "Not to mention that inside the cadaster, some employees were opening doors to this attack. So it will be very amusing," he added.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok described the attack as unprecedented on a European scale. According to military intelligence, a similar incident occurred in Russia, which may suggest the work of the same criminal group.
Cybersecurity expert Łukasz Olejnik assesses the situation as critical: "Critical property-related data is inaccessible. Some can be recovered from paper documentation, but some may be irretrievably lost due to the lack of appropriate backups."
The Office for Combating Organised Crime is investigating unauthorised interference with the cadastre's computer system. According to unofficial information, the attackers are demanding a seven-figure amount in pounds for restoring access to the data.
Authorities announce the gradual restoration of system functionality starting next week, initially at the level of regional cadastre offices, which will operate as independent units without a connection to the central system.
