Cyberattacks target Turkish Cypriot media outlets

Numerous news websites, journalists, politicians, and citizens in the Turkish Cypriot community have reported the deletion of content and suspension of social media accounts due to organized cyberattacks. Reports indicate that many of the removed posts were related to recent strike actions. The newspaper Yeni Düzen identified Indian firm Aiplex Software Pvt Ltd as being involved in the content removal process. The Turkish Cypriot Journalists Association stated that they are coordinating with Meta representatives, who confirmed that the attacks are being executed via fake accounts. Tufan Erhürman, a prominent community leader, condemned the incidents as an attack on press freedom and democracy. Minister of Transport Erhan Arıklı acknowledged that local authorities lack the technical and legal capacity to combat these threats. Consequently, Turkey has been requested to provide technical support, with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz instructing the Turkish Presidency of Cyber Security to assist. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTHK) is currently leading efforts to address the situation.