A cyberattack that hit Slovakia’s land registry earlier this week was the biggest in the country’s history, the minister of agriculture said on Friday.
The attack targeted the Slovakian Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Office (UGKK), which manages land and property data. The agency’s systems were shut down, and its physical offices were closed on Tuesday following an alleged ransomware attack. According to local media reports, the attackers are demanding millions of euros in ransom.
Agriculture Minister Richard Takac said in a press conference the systems would be restored with backups. He also assured that there is no risk of changes or fraudulent transcriptions of ownership data. Takac did not provide further details about the attack, mentioning only that there were “strong indications” it originated from Ukraine.
The incident comes amid rising tensions between Slovakia and Ukraine following Kyiv’s suspension of Russian gas transit through Slovakian territory. The country has warned Kyiv of potential “severe consequences” for cutting off gas supply, which will have a major economic impact on Slovakia.
Slovakia’s nationalist political party (SNS) called on the foreign minister to summon the Ukrainian ambassador to discuss Ukraine’s alleged involvement in the attack.
Ukraine has not commented on the allegations linking it to the cyberattack. Earlier this week, a hacker group with unclear affiliations claimed responsibility for breaching Russia’s Rosreestr, an agency responsible for managing property and land records. Although Rosreestr denied any breach it said it is investigating the hackers’ claims.
Ukraine also faced a major cyberattack on its state registers last month, with suspected Russian threat actors targeting several Ukrainian databases containing sensitive official records, such as biometric data, property ownership, and business and tax records. Ukraine’s Ministry of Justice said on Friday that it had restored access to all key services impacted by the attack.
It could take months to fully restore Slovakia’s land registry, according to Pavlina Pavlova, a Slovakia-born cyber policy expert. It remains unclear how complete the agency’s data backups are or whether they are sufficiently reliable for a full system recovery, she said.
The attack has already had a wide impact on industries that depend on data from the land registry.
“The real estate and mortgage markets are paralyzed, property transactions are stalled, purchases delayed, and some connected public services, such as issuing parking permits in Bratislava, are rendered inaccessible,” Pavlova said.
According to a report by the European law firm Kinstellar, the attack could have an impact on real estate, mergers and acquisitions, and banking or finance transactions.
Due to the registry shutdown, citizens are unable to obtain legal documents that prove ownership of property or land. All ongoing proceedings concerning immovable properties, such as land, buildings, apartments and farms, are suspended, and it is not possible to file new applications. Debt recovery and litigation may also be affected, as creditors will not be able to check a debtor’s property.
According to local media reports, the attack has significantly disrupted the operations of towns and municipalities. Without access to land registry data, they are unable to provide essential services needed for smooth functioning and to meet legal requirements. In Bratislava, the attack has affected the parking system, specifically the automatic issuance of parking cards and the extension of their validity.
Local state officials said the investigation into the attack is ongoing and more details are expected to emerge.
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Daryna Antoniuk
is a reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine. She writes about cybersecurity startups, cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia. She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine. Her work has also been published at Sifted, The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv Post.
