The number of cyber-attacks in Latvia has increased significantly, reaching the highest level in the last two years, according to the cyber incident prevention authority CERT’s statement on October 15.

Some of the attacks are politically motivated and a reaction to political decisions or actions related to support for Ukraine. Latvia has been at a high cyber security threat level since January 2022.

Since the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, cyber incidents in Latvia have increased by 40%, while attacks against state institutions and critical infrastructure have quadrupled. In the second quarter of this year, the number of hacking attempts reached its highest level in two years, and has increased by 56% since the beginning of the year.

“A single cyber attack can paralyze an entire organization or business, or have a major impact on the delivery of services that are important to citizens. So far, we have managed to prevent serious impacts on critical national infrastructure. The last two years have clearly demonstrated the importance of having a proactive and resilient defense system in place, as well as a timely action plan in case of a cyber-attack,” said Baiba Kaškina, CERT.lv’s CEO.

Businesses tend to be targeted by cyber attackers not only when they are interested in a company’s resources or finances, but often as a “gateway” to government institutions or essential service providers that are their customers. This means that increased attention to cybersecurity is needed not only in the public sector but also for private sector companies in order to maintain a high level of overall national cybersecurity and to continue to provide services to citizens without disruption.