CHAOS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES FROM CYBERATTACKS - THEY REMOVE POSTS AND SUSPEND SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS - Filenews 14/4
The removal of posts and the suspension of social media accounts as a result of cyber attacks, is reported by the Turkish Cypriot press.
According to the Turkish Cypriot press, posts of news websites, journalists, politicians and citizens, mainly those related to strike mobilizations, were deleted. The newspaper "Yeni Duzen" wrote that the involvement of the company "Aiplex Software Pvt Ltd", based in India, in the process of removing the content was detected.
The Turkish Cypriot journalists' association spoke of "organized cyberattacks" and announced that it was making strong efforts to solve the problem. According to the union, after contacts with representatives of META, it was confirmed that the attacks are being carried out through fake accounts and the relevant investigations have begun, adding that journalists will not succumb to such attacks.
For his part, the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community Tufan Erhurman reacted to the incident, stating that the Turkish Cypriot press will not succumb to attacks on press freedom and democracy. He added that the necessary initiatives have been launched through the "Information and Communication Technologies Authority" (BTHK).
The "Minister of Transport", Erhan Arikli, said that the increase in cyberattacks was discussed in the "cabinet". He noted that "BTHK" is technically and legally inadequate, which is why technical support was requested from Turkey. As he said, upon request, the Vice President of Turkey, Cevdet Yilmaz, instructed the Turkish Cyber Security Presidency to cooperate with "BTHK", while a delegation is expected soon in the occupied territories.
The Republican Turkish Party (PTK), in a written statement, underlined that the systematic attacks on freedom of the press and expression are taking on alarming proportions. He stressed that spam activities are an open interference with society's right to information. At the same time, he described as unacceptable the claims that these activities are financed by public funds, adding that if they are verified, legal proceedings should be initiated.
The general secretary of the Democratic Party (DP), Serhat Akpinar, condemned the attacks, noting that they create serious problems for individuals and institutions. He pointed to the need to strengthen the cybersecurity infrastructure and proposed the creation of a "national" cybersecurity institution.
The National Unity Party (GNP) said that the targeting of the media is a direct threat to democracy and freedom of expression. He expressed his solidarity with the media and press workers, noting that he supports the technical and legal steps to strengthen digital security.
