NSA: Iraqi institutions remained unaffected by global shutdowns

Baghdad - INA

The Cyber Security Center at the National Security Advisory confirmed, today, Friday, that Iraqi government institutions were not affected by the global shutdowns.

The centre stated, in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "Iraqi government institutions were not affected by the global glitch that hit Windows servers today, and our institutions' systems are operating normally and have not been exposed to any negative impact, and the transportation and communications sector in Iraq was not affected by global outages.".

He added that "technical systems around the world are witnessing massive disruptions amid suspicions that it is one of the largest cyber attacks in history. Here are some details about these disruptions:

- British Sky News announced that its broadcasts have stopped today due to a technical glitch.
- Disruptions at all airports in Spain.
- Disruptions at German airports.
- Disruptions at Edinburgh Airport in Scotland.
- Schiphol Airport and Amsterdam Airport in the Netherlands announced that they are facing cyber attacks.
- Disruptions at American airports.
- London Stock Exchange announced that its services were affected by what happened.
- British Railways announced disruptions in its systems.
- TV channels announced a glitch in their broadcasts.
- Global banks announced a glitch in their systems.
- The largest train company in Britain announced that it may cancel all its flights.
- An interruption in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's transmission and massive technical problems across the country.
- The American 911 emergency center receives tens of thousands of calls and faces severe pressure from callers."

He pointed out that "all these malfunctions around the world are related to devices running on the Windows system," adding: "We at the Cyber Security Center are closely monitoring the situation and working in continuous coordination with the specialized teams to ensure the protection of information security and the integrity of the technical infrastructure. We are working with our partners in the sector to ensure the continuation of electronic transactions at Iraqi airports and data centers without interruption, and we will continue to monitor the situation carefully and take all necessary measures to protect the systems."

He continued: "In this context, we recommend that specialists in governmental and semi-governmental institutions postpone any update process at the present time, due to the current instability of the Windows services infrastructure."

He urged all institutions to "strengthen cyber protection measures and adhere to best security practices," stressing "the importance of regularly updating systems and infrastructure, but in a thoughtful manner and in coordination with the competent authorities to ensure the stability of security performance."

He stressed "the need to educate employees about the importance of cybersecurity and to act with caution when dealing with unknown emails and attachments," noting that "educating and training employees is an essential part of the cybersecurity strategy and enhances the ability of institutions to face digital challenges."

He continued: “We at the Cyber Security Center work to provide the necessary technical support and advice to governmental and semi-governmental institutions to enhance the security infrastructure and ensure its readiness to confront any potential cyber threats,” concluding: “We thank you for your understanding and trust, and we invite you to contact us in case you have any inquiries or need for assistance.”