North Macedonia temporarily restricts internet traffic from abroad to prevent cyber risks

The Ministry of Digital Transformation announced that it has temporarily suspended external internet traffic to the affected systems as a preventive measure against the potential exploitation of vulnerabilities.

As part of the measures taken, software versions were verified, the relevant patches and security updates were installed, and the functionality and security of the internet servers were also tested.

According to the ministry, these actions are aimed at reducing the risk of unauthorized access and the potential compromise of the servers.

Through the Cybersecurity Sector and the government computer security team, MKD-GOV-CSIRT, institutions are continuing expanded and uninterrupted monitoring of cyber threats. This process includes analyzing security incidents and log data, as well as verifying potential indicators of compromise.

The measures were taken after government institutions and companies in Europe and other parts of the world were forced yesterday to shut down their websites following the discovery of serious vulnerabilities in the programming language on which most of the internet relies, world media reported.

“Based on the checks carried out so far, no signs have been identified of the successful exploitation of the aforementioned vulnerabilities or of the compromise of the websites of the Government or ministries,” the ministry said in its statement.