Romania Land Registry Hack: A Comprehensive Report
Executive Summary
- The hacker wiped Romania’s land registry database, causing temporary inconvenience.
- Officials are rebuilding the agency’s entire network from scratch, using backup copies stored in several locations.
- A criminal investigation is underway, with no official conclusions released yet.
The Buzz Score
The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical
Forum Voices
Some online users are concerned about the societal implications of the hack, including the possibility of being unable to prove land ownership.
> Since the hack, officials restored their website and posted a message announcing they are rebuilding the agency’s entire network from scratch. Even if the hacker claims they deleted backups, the agency appears to have had an offline copy, otherwise things would have gotten really messy over the coming months in Romania. So it seems not all has been lost.
Others are skeptical about the official response, suggesting that corruption may have played a role in the hack.
Romanian friends have told me that this is really due to corruption. Specifically: – government gives IT/data contracts to cronies – cronies don’t actually do any real security work to protect the data – things like this happen
Restoration Efforts
The agency has announced that it is migrating its applications to Romania’s Government Cloud, with the operation being coordinated by the Special Telecommunications Service (STS).
ANCPI says it is rebuilding its database from backup copies stored in several locations. The agency rejected reports suggesting that it did not have sufficient backups, explaining that the use of multiple storage locations provides redundancy and allows data to be restored after cybersecurity incidents.
Focus Keyword: Land Registry
