Cyberattacks on top firms, state entities expose Sri Lanka’s weak defences: Secualyze

• Asserts nation must take immediate action to fortify its cybersecurity defences, educate its citizens about online risks and invest in robust protective measures

By Nishel Fernando 

Two of Sri Lanka’s leading corporates and a key government entity have fallen victim to sophisticated cyberattacks, highlighting the nation’s inadequate cybersecurity defences, according to a report by local cybersecurity firm Secualyze.

The firm identified a phishing campaign orchestrated by SideWinder APT, a well-known nation-state threat actor, targeting prominent organisations, including Cargills and Coca-Cola.

“This operation exploits well-known Sri Lankan enterprises such as Cargills and Coca-Cola, leveraging phishing websites and malicious payment gateways to steal sensitive user information and credit card details,” Secualyze stated in its report.

In a separate analysis, the firm said Abans Group, a leading local corporate, suffered a major breach attributed to the same threat actor responsible for attacks on Microsoft and other Fortune 500 companies. The breach reportedly compromised about 110,000 user records.

“Analysts at Secualyze CERT have been closely monitoring intelligence from threat broker communications and have identified that the adversary exploited a critical vulnerability within Abans’ systems. This breach exposes not only individual users but also the organisation to potential downstream offensive operations,” the report added.

The official website of Sri Lanka’s Meteorology Department was also reportedly breached in a server-level attack. Secualyze analysts flagged the intrusion as an advanced persistent threat (APT), suggesting the attackers may have implanted a backdoor for ongoing unauthorised access.

Secualyze called the recent wave of cyberattacks a “wake-up call” for Sri Lanka to address its vulnerabilities.

“The nation must take immediate action to fortify its cybersecurity defences, educate its citizens about online risks and invest in robust protective measures. The stakes have never been higher and the consequences of inaction could be catastrophic,” the firm emphasised.

The report also noted that Sri Lanka has increasingly become a target for nation-state hackers in recent years but its cybersecurity measures remain insufficient.

“This negligence has left critical infrastructure and citizens exposed to relentless cyberthreats,” Secualyze warned.
Secualyze, founded by cybersecurity expert Nathaneal Meththananda, specialises in advanced threat detection and response, aiming to address these growing challenges.