Azerbaijani official warns of supply-chain cyberattacks on state bodies

One of the most widespread types of cyberattacks in Azerbaijan recently has involved attacks on state agencies' information systems through the network infrastructure of contractor companies, an official said.

Report informs that Tural Mammadov, deputy head of a main department at the Special Communication and Information Security State Service, made the remarks during panel discussions held as part of the 4th National Cybersecurity Forum in Baku.

Mammadov said the issue concerned cyberattacks carried out through the supply chain.

"A country's cybersecurity is only as strong as the security of its contractors. When analysing a number of cyberattacks targeting state agencies, we found that these attacks were directed at those state structures through trusted parties, namely by infiltrating the networks of contractor or service provider companies," he said.

Mammadov said he had high hopes that the newly established agency - the National Cybersecurity Agency - would set certain requirements for private-sector companies and encourage them to strengthen their internal cybersecurity capacity.

"As you can see, national security is not limited to protecting state systems. Every company providing services to the state is a security actor within the ecosystem," he said.