Romania’s interim deputy PM meets with Bitdefender CEO over cybersecurity concerns
Florin Talpeș, founder and CEO of IT security solutions provider Bitdefender, the largest local software producer, recently met with interim deputy prime minister Oana Gheorghiu for a discussion in the context of recent cyberattacks on state institutions, according to information from Profit.ro.
The meeting took place at Bitdefender’s headquarters, and Gheorghiu was eager to hear the views of the Bitdefender leadership on the Romanian state’s cybersecurity issues. The discussion, however, did not touch upon a specific form of cooperation between the executive and Bitdefender.
“The meeting took place at my initiative. I believe that the expertise accumulated by a Romanian player of international stature in this field is a resource that the state must know how to use, especially at a time when the digital vulnerabilities of public administration have become evident,” the deputy prime minister told Profit.ro.
The discussion agenda also covered the largest cyberattack in the history of the National Agency for Cadastre and Land Registration (ANCPI), which took place on July 14 and blocked the entire real estate market in Romania. The attack, along with others, was a “symptom of broader vulnerabilities in the IT systems of public administration,” according to Gheorghiu.
“I listened to Bitdefender’s opinion on these incidents, from the perspective of a player with global visibility into cyber threats, and I shared the direction in which we are working at the government level, also communicated publicly: uniform standards, real audits, tested continuity plans and stronger coordination between institutions,” Oana Gheorghiu said.
She argued that the Romanian state has an obligation to constantly seek the best expertise in all areas where the state has proven its limitations.
Contacted by Profit.ro, Bitdefender officials said that “such meetings are part of the institutional dialogue regarding Romania’s cyber resilience.”
According to the company, the development of European cybersecurity and artificial intelligence capabilities is essential for the digital resilience of Romania and the European Union. “Bitdefender has made its expertise available to Romanian institutions whenever it was requested and remains open to continuing to contribute to strengthening national capabilities in this field. In the fight against cybercrime, Bitdefender works closely with law enforcement and defense institutions around the world,” Bitdefender officials said.
The same source said that the cyber threat landscape in Romania is becoming increasingly complex, while attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated.
Authorities now have preliminary findings regarding the attack against ANCPI. The investigation reveals that the initial access targeted the ePAY application, used to facilitate access to certain online services, such as land registry extracts. It is not known when ANCPI’s IT systems are expected to become fully functional and secure again. The attack has not yet been attributed either.
(Photo source: Oana Gheorghiu on Facebook | bitdefender.ro)
