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LatviaPublished: 9 July 2026 at 04:37

Cyberattack on Latvian State Forests: Hacker Lurked Unnoticed for 11 Days

A cybercriminal known as ByteToBreach breached the systems of Latvian State Forests, remaining undetected for 11 days. The State Police have launched a criminal investigation, also targeting cybersecurity expert Elvis Strazdiņš, who analyzed the incident.

Foto: Žurnāls Ir

The Midsummer celebrations for some employees of Latvian State Forests were disrupted this year by a cyberattack. The hacker, going by the alias ByteToBreach, infiltrated the state-owned company's systems and carried out malicious activities for 11 days without being noticed. It was only on the morning of June 22, when they began encrypting the compromised systems, that the company realized what had happened. Experts note that the hacker is not considered highly professional, yet the attack was successful.

The State Police have initiated a criminal case regarding the incident. The case targets not only the hacker but also cybersecurity expert Elvis Strazdiņš, who publicly analyzed the breach and contacted the hacker. Authorities accuse Strazdiņš of unauthorized actions. The situation appears contradictory, as both Minister of Agriculture Uldis Augulis (ZZS) and Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs (AS) have sought advice from Strazdiņš.

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