The Libyan Post Telecommunications & Information Technology Company (LPTIC) has announced that its subsidiaries have been subjected to prolonged distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
The LPTIC’s subsidiaries included Libya for Communications and Technology, Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed, and the Al-Madar companies.
In a statement, the company revealed that these attacks have caused disruptions in various services and applications, including the subscriber services application, MyLTT.
The company emphasised that there is coordination between the affected companies and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to counter cyber attacks in collaboration with the cybersecurity team.
The company further stated that the attacks aim to deprive users of the DDoS mitigation service. It added that the attacks are adopting a more organised and globally escalating approach.
The company cited international reports indicating that other countries, such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Finland, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Turkey, have also experienced similar attacks.
According to the company, the attacks targeting Libya reached a volume of 114 gigabits, with a total of approximately 4,400 attacks recorded during the third quarter of this year.
In recent months, the Telecommunications Holding Company has repeatedly reported continuous attacks on the data center of its subsidiary, Libya for Communications and Technology (LTT).
Last month, US news site, Business Insider released a technical report that brings to light the escalating concern of cybersecurity breaches that threaten corporations in Africa.
The report emphasised that cybercriminals are resorting to tactics like ransomware attacks and data leaks, affecting institutions and stakeholders.
According to the report, Libya is the most exposed to substantial cybersecurity threats in 2023, ranking 90th globally. This high risk is attributed to the “inadequate provision of safeguards against cybercrimes, making them highly susceptible to attacks.”
The report concluded by noting that “these countries have weak or non-existent legislation against cybersecurity threats, putting sensitive transactions at substantial risk.”