Macedonian Ministry of Economy and Labor hit by cyberattack, systems shut down

The Macedonian Ministry of Economy and Labor was hit by a cyberattack that has left its employees without access to the internet and official emails. The attack occurred on September 12, 2024, and since then, the ministry has been struggling with locked data and limited access to its systems.

It is believed that the incident involved ransomware, where attackers have encrypted the ministry’s data and may be demanding a ransom for its release.

The ministry’s databases are currently inaccessible, and there has been no official confirmation of which specific data has been compromised or whether the personal information of citizens and companies is at risk. Despite the attack happening weeks ago, the ministry has not publicly disclosed the breach, raising questions about transparency.

Currently, the ministry is migrating its data to a new server provided by the Ministry of Digital Transformation. This process, which is expected to be completed by next week, involves restoring information from the latest backup available before the breach.

The full scope of the attack, including which data might have been exposed or compromised, remains unclear.