Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has stated he will not summon Russian Ambassador Yevgeny Stanislavov in relation to the large-scale cyberattack in 2022, which recent media reports have attributed to pro-Russian hackers.
This statement was made in response to a question from opposition MP Ferenc Gelencsér, who shared a video of his conversation with the Foreign Minister on Facebook.
Gelencsér inquired whether Szijjártó would call in the Russian ambassador following revelations that Russian hackers had breached the servers of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the video, Szijjártó can be heard responding, “No, I have nothing to say to him.”
This marks the first time Szijjártó has commented on the cyberattack, stating that “anyone could have carried it out”.
Despite the gravity of the situation, he has maintained a stance of prioritising Hungary’s national interests, even in the face of repeated cyber intrusions.
“We will make decisions based on national interests, even if they break into our computer systems, whether they try to do this daily or weekly, it does not matter,” Szijjártó asserted.
In May, Hungarian journalists uncovered new documents that confirmed a cyberattack linked to Russian intelligence services took place over two years ago, targeting the systems of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and potentially accessing highly valuable information.
Following initial media reports about the incident in March 2022, the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and several politicians from the ruling Fidesz party denied the occurrence of the cyberattack.
Despite these denials, the newly surfaced evidence has reignited concerns and questions about the extent of the breach and the information compromised.
Hungary has become a gateway for Russian cyber infiltration into EU and NATO IT systems
The cyberattack on Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is part of a broader pattern of cyber activities attributed to Russian state actors, targeting governmental and institutional systems across Europe. These attacks aim to gain access to sensitive information and disrupt critical operations, posing significant challenges to national security.
These cyber incidents have only recently come to public light, revealing that the traces lead to hacker groups operating on behalf of Russian intelligence.
It is believed that the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia (GRU) orchestrated the hacks on the MFA systems. These agencies have persistently targeted Hungarian government networks for at least a decade, using Hungary as a conduit to infiltrate other NATO member states’ networks.
Under the third administration of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s Cyber Defence Agency was disbanded, a move seen as a deliberate dismantling of the country’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
This disbandment led to significant communication and coordination issues among Hungary’s intelligence and government bodies, which began operating in isolation and at times in competition with each other.
Consequently, the new wave of Russian cyberattacks quickly exploited the vulnerabilities in Hungary’s system.
Hungarian diplomacy faced phishing attacks from APT28, a group linked to the GRU General Staff of Russia. The attacks were conducted through emails containing malicious software that spread throughout the MFA’s internal computer network and infected over 150 workstations in more than 90 Hungarian foreign missions worldwide.
Some of the infected government computers were connected to a remote “botnet,” which coordinated attacks on other NATO countries.
In several instances, other NATO members first detected the attacks on them originating from Hungarian government systems. This breach had staggering consequences. The vulnerability of Hungary’s IT systems compromised the protected data of allied NATO countries, causing damage that is challenging to repair.
Russian hackers’ penetration of Hungarian government networks continued both before and during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including during crisis summits of the EU and NATO focused on the invasion. Despite these severe breaches, the Hungarian government has not made any accusations against Russia regarding cyber espionage.
Broader Implications for NATO and EU Cybersecurity
The situation in Hungary underscores the broader cybersecurity risks facing NATO and the EU. Cybersecurity experts warn that the infiltration of one member state’s systems can expose the entire alliance to significant risks.
NATO and the EU rely on the collective security and integrity of each member’s digital infrastructure to safeguard shared sensitive information and coordinate defence strategies effectively.
Hungary’s stance, prioritising national interests over addressing the cyber threats from Russia, could weaken the collective cybersecurity posture of NATO and the EU. The lack of a unified response to cyber incidents sets a concerning precedent and highlights the need for stronger, more cohesive cybersecurity policies and enforcement mechanisms within the alliances.
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