Pro-Russian hackers suspected in city websites attack

On Monday, several Danish municipal websites became inaccessible due to a coordinated cyberattack, likely executed by pro-Russian cyber activists according to Mark Fiedel, head of the Center for Cybersikkerhed (CFCS). The CFCS had warned some of the targets beforehand, as these adversaries sometimes announce their targets in advance within private groups to recruit participants for the attack. The affected municipalities include Aarhus, Vejle, and others. These incidents were specified as DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, which overload websites with traffic, causing them to crash temporarily. Fiedel pointed out that although such attacks are mainly a nuisance, they rarely cause serious issues. They contrast with more severe attacks like ransomware, which have drastic consequences. The reason behind targeting the municipal websites is unclear; Fiedel suggests the attackers seek attention for their cause and often target symbolic entities.