TIRANA – Albania has announced to severe diplomatic ties with Ian over what it described as “a heavy cyberattack” on its digital infrastructure.
The announcement was made by Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama in a video message, saying: “…the Council of Ministers has decided on the severance of diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran with immediate effect”.
The prime minister said that cyberattack was launched on July 15 this summer in a bid to destroy the country’s digital infrastructure, paralyse public services and hack data and electronic communications from the government systems.
“The said attack failed its purpose,” he said, adding that a high-level investigation was launched in the matter with the support of specialized partner agencies against cyber terrorism.
“The in-depth investigation provided us with indisputable evidence that the cyberattack against our country was orchestrated and sponsored by the Islamic Republic of Iran through the engagement of four groups,” the official statement read.
PM Rama said that staff of Iranian embassy has been given 24 hours to leave the country.
“This extreme response, one that is unwanted but totally forced on us, is fully proportionate to the gravity and risk of the cyberattack that threatened to paralyse public services, erase digital systems and hack into State records, steal Government intranet electronic communication and stir chaos and insecurity in the country,” the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected the allegations leveled by Albania as baseless.
“Iran as one of the target countries of cyberattacks on its critical infrastructure rejects and condemns any use of cyber space as a tool to attack the critical infrastructure of other countries,” its foreign ministry said in a statement.
