According to some reports, the devices may constitute a legitimate system of protection against cyber attacks.
Slovak law enforcement officers arrested four people as part of an investigation into a suspicious device found on a government IT network.
According to local media, the equipment was allegedly used for wiretapping and intercepting Internet communications. The devices were a kind of servers connected to the GOVNET network, which interconnected a number of Slovak government agencies.
This week, the Slovak National Crime Prevention Office (NAKA) raided and seized suspicious equipment located in police stations and judicial institutions. Four suspects were also arrested and interviewed, including two senior officials from the National Office for Electronic Networks and Services (NASES), the government agency responsible for managing the GOVNET network and all devices connected to it. Another arrested man works in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the fourth arrested person is a private person.
Currently, NAKA specialists are examining the seized devices and their capabilities, as well as establishing the role of NASES employees in their connection to GOVNET. At the moment, it is not established whether they connected the “spy” equipment intentionally, or became victims of an attack on the supply chain. The participation of foreign special services is not excluded.
However, according to the Slovak edition of Noviny, interception devices can in fact be a normal security system installed according to the results of the last audit and designed to protect against cyber attacks. In this case, the traffic registration functions are justified.
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Slovak law enforcement officers arrested four people as part of an investigation into a suspicious device found on a government IT network.
According to local media, the equipment was allegedly used for wiretapping and intercepting Internet communications. The devices were a kind of servers connected to the GOVNET network, which interconnected a number of Slovak government agencies.
This week, the Slovak National Crime Prevention Office (NAKA) raided and seized suspicious equipment located in police stations and judicial institutions. Four suspects were also arrested and interviewed, including two senior officials from the National Office for Electronic Networks and Services (NASES), the government agency responsible for managing the GOVNET network and all devices connected to it. Another arrested man works in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the fourth arrested person is a private person.
Currently, NAKA specialists are examining the seized devices and their capabilities, as well as establishing the role of NASES employees in their connection to GOVNET. At the moment, it is not established whether they connected the “spy” equipment intentionally, or became victims of an attack on the supply chain. The participation of foreign special services is not excluded.
However, according to the Slovak edition of Noviny, interception devices can in fact be a normal security system installed according to the results of the last audit and designed to protect against cyber attacks. In this case, the traffic registration functions are justified.
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