New cyber attacks by pro-Russian hackers hit port and local authority websites

A cyber attack targeted the websites of several Belgian municipalities and ports on Tuesday. It is the second attack in two days by the pro-Russian hacker collective NoName057, according to the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB).

A list of Belgian cities and ports, including Sint-Genesius-Rode and Linkebeek, was posted on the Telegram channel of the pro-Russian hacker group at 8.44am on Tuesday morning. The websites of the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge were also targeted.

CCB stresses that the attacks are not dangerous. The cyber attack is a so-called Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, in which servers are 'bombarded' with requests, causing them to become overloaded and inaccessible to real users.

"Russophobic Belgium"

It is the second attack by NoName057 on Belgian websites in two days. On Monday, a number of websites, including those of the provinces, went down for a while. According to a Telegram post by the collective, it is motivated by Belgium's support for Ukraine.

“The Belgian government will soon be examining a proposal to purchase and transfer three Caesar artillery units to Ukraine,” it said. “We have decided to pay a visit to Russophobic Belgium to show them how initiatives in support of the criminal regime in Kyiv end.”

The hackers also hinted at further disruption on Sunday, when Belgium holds local elections. "On Sunday 13 October, Belgium will hold important elections: citizens will elect their local councillors," the Telegram message reads.

^{#FlandersNewsService | © NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP}