Russian hackers target all TV channels of Latvian provider, broadcasting Moscow parade

Archive photo: Vladimir Putin at a parade in Moscow (Getty Images)

Russian hackers conducted a cyberattack on all channels of one of the Latvian providers and cut off the broadcast. Instead, they launched a broadcast of a military parade from Moscow, according to Delfi.

Journalists write that Balticom's Internet TV services have been disconnected, and the circumstances of the incident are being investigated. The Latvian State Police has engaged its specialists to investigate the incident.

The local experts suggest that the provider's infrastructure was not hacked, and the attack was carried out on a content delivery partner outside Latvia, while Balticom only retransmitted the modified content. However, experts believe that this incident is part of Russia's hybrid warfare. They believe that such provocations are likely to continue in the future, and it is necessary to be prepared for them.

“In recent times, this is the second incident where as a result of a cyberattack the programs of TV channels broadcasting in Latvia have been replaced by Russian propaganda content,” Delfi writes.

Russian cyberattacks

Russia has been engaged in cyberattacks for several years and has targeted EU members as well as the United States. Recently, the Russian hackers have intensified their attacks.

Yesterday, Polish officials reported that government agencies had recently been attacked by hackers linked to Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate.