iStockAn Edinburgh transport website was taken offline after a “cyber attack” by a Pro-Russian hacker group.
Edinburgh Trams said on Thursday it was the victim of a “cyber crime” which shut down its website.
It was confirmed that the shutdown was by NoName057, a Russian hacker group that launches DDoS attacks on organizations that support Ukraine.
According to Check Point Software, DDoS attacks are likened to “online demonstrations”, and are designed to gain attention and interrupt services rather than extract sensitive data.
Deryck Mitchelson, Field CISO EMEA at Check Point, said: “NoName057(16) is a Pro-Russian hacker group known for launching DDoS campaigns on organizations that support Ukraine.
“They have a powerful botnet and so many supporters that they can restrict access to almost any website or service. However, these are not the type of attacks that should cause panic.
“DDoS attacks could be likened to online demonstrations, designed to gain attention and interrupt regular service rather than extracting sensitive data.
“But of course, even in these cases, caution is required as it could be a cover-up for more sophisticated attacks, and the disruption can be inconvenient for the target and its customers.”
The website is now back up and running as normal.
A Police Spokesperson said: “An investigation is underway following a report of a cyber incident at a business in Edinburgh.
“The matter was reported to police on Thursday, September 28, 2023 and enquiries are ongoing.”
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