LSM news portal temporarily shut down over cybersecurity risks

LSM, the news portal of Latvia's public media, temporarily closed its website on 21 October because of cybersecurity risks. Visitors who opened the site found a notice instead of the usual news: "Due to cybersecurity risks, the website is temporarily closed." The case is a reminder of how heavily people rely on digital services every day.

Not only one website

LSM was not the only one affected. Because of critical security vulnerabilities, access to websites was also restricted in many places across Latvia and elsewhere in Europe. The source does not say which sites were affected or what exactly the vulnerabilities were.

Shutting down as a responsible decision

The text published by TVNET stresses that such a step does not signal carelessness. Sometimes taking a website offline is the most responsible decision when facing a security threat.

The author notes that electricity from a wall socket, money in a bank account, mobile coverage, emergency assistance and reliable news seem self-evident, as though everything works on its own. Behind it, however, are people, expertise and money that we rarely think about. The closed LSM website is one case in which that work becomes visible.