Two teenagers remanded by DIICOT for accessing computer systems of public institutions in Romania

The Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) prosecutors have conducted several searches on Wednesday, in a file involving two 17- and 18-year-old teenagers who have illegally accessed several computer systems at public institutions, including the Ministry of Education, Bucharest University and the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) Suceava.

According to DIICOT, since 2016 to date, the two youngsters have carried out and claimed a series of ‘defacement’ computer attacks (DDOS), some of which were directed against the information systems of some public institutions.

Judicial sources have said that the two young people attacked, among other things, the websites of ISU Suceava, the Constanta Public Health Directorate, the Bihor School Inspectorate, the University of Bucharest, the Transylvania University and the official website of the Ministry of Education, edu.ro.

“Several computer systems, internal and external hard drives, smartphones, sticks and memory cards, optical CD / DVD drives used in criminal activity were identified at the searches and taken over,” DIICOT said.

Judicial sources said that the aim of the teenagers allegedly was to draw attention to weak cyber security measures and the need to improve the security of computer data, stating that they would not have wanted data to be stolen or damaged.

The teenagers have been brought to DIICOT offices – Central Structure in order to be heard, to establish the entire criminal activity and to take the necessary measures against them.