Orkhan Mammadov: Information security is an important component of national security

Information security, especially in the media sphere, is not only a technical issue but also an important component of national security.

As reported by BAKU.WS, this was stated by Orkhan Mammadov, a board member of Global Media Group, speaking at the public hearings of the Temporary Parliamentary Commission on Countering External Interference and Hybrid Threats. The topic of the hearings was "Cyberattacks on Azerbaijan's media resources."

Mammadov recalled that on February 20 of this year, around 10:00, Global Media Group was subjected to a serious and large-scale cyberattack. Initially, the attack was directed at the internal servers of Baku TV channel, and then spread to the country's leading news portals, such as Report, Oxu.Az, Baku.ws, Caliber, and Media.az.

Thanks to the prompt intervention of the holding's IT team and invited specialized structures, the spread of the virus was stopped. However, unfortunately, some servers experienced data loss, and the operation of the websites was disrupted, albeit for a short time.

According to Mammadov, at that time, advanced protection systems recommended by specialists and internationally recognized were installed on the servers. Despite this, hackers were able to overcome the protective barrier using very advanced and little-known methods. This once again showed that the level of preparation of the opposing side was extraordinarily high.

As part of the measures taken, it was decided to move the sites to a better-protected data center and completely rebuild the server infrastructure. In parallel, ongoing cooperation with international cybersecurity companies was initiated and network equipment was updated.

"This incident once again proved to us that information security, especially in the media sphere, is not just a technical issue, but an important part of national security. It is necessary to constantly invest in this direction and take preventive measures," emphasized Orkhan Mammadov.