STISC staff suspected in foreign-led cyberattacks on government systems
Several employees of the Information Technology and Cyber Security Service (STISC) are under suspicion for their involvement in attempted sabotage and attacks on the government’s cyber infrastructure in the Republic of Moldova. These employees will be suspended from their positions while an internal investigation by the authorities is conducted.
STISC has announced that it has initiated an investigation, in collaboration with other responsible state institutions, into a cybersecurity incident that was "organized by a foreign actor on government infrastructure."
"As part of the investigation, STISC will conduct a service inquiry into certain employees whose actions are currently under scrutiny due to suspicions of complicity in sabotage attempts and attacks on cyber infrastructure. During this investigation, these individuals will be suspended from their positions," the institution stated, without providing further details.
It is important to note that a year ago, the former head of the Parliament's Legal Department, Ștefan Creangă, and a border policeman were detained by law enforcement officers on suspicions of treason and conspiracy against the Republic of Moldova. The two were caught transmitting sensitive information, including state secrets, to a representative of the Russian secret services, an employee of the Russian Embassy in Chisinau.
Additionally, last year, law enforcement detained Igor Gorgan, the former Chief of the General Staff of the National Army from 2013 to 2016 and again from 2019 to 2021. He was allegedly collaborating with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Federation (GRU). Journalists from The Insider revealed correspondence on Gorgan’s Telegram channel with his supervisor, Colonel Alexei Makarov, a curator from the GRU. These messages indicated that the former Chief of the National Army was regularly reporting on the internal political situation in the Republic of Moldova, military exercises, and providing information about visits from representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, who were acquiring military equipment and ammunition for their armed forces.
As of now, none of these cases have resulted in court sentences.
