Page 51 - GEORptMay20

medium sized enterprises in the Eurasia Region, has invested $1.1mn in NUTSGE—the leading locally-owned processor and exporter of hazelnuts in Georgia.
The hazelnut industry is a strategically important agribusiness sector for Georgia. The country is the fourth largest producer of hazelnuts in the world.
9.1.8 ​TMT sector news
Personal data of more than 4.9mn Georgians, apparently outdated and previously exposed in 2011 and including mobile numbers in addition to typical details such as ID numbers and dated of birth, were published on a hacking forum over the weekend, on March 29, according to ​ZD Net​. However, “the databse did not appear to have been updated since the original leak in 2011,” according to Under The Breach, a data breach monitoring and prevention service that reported the data leakage.
The database contained 4.93mn records including details for over one million deceased citizens. Georgia's current population is estimated at 3.7mn, according to a 2019 census.
The source of the data remains unknown.
On March 29, ZDNet initially reported the leak as coming from Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC), but in a statement one day later, the commission denied that the data originated from its servers as it contained information that it does not usually collect, such as ID numbers and phone numbers.
One of the individuals sharing the data on hacking forums confirmed that the data was not obtained from the CEC’s servers.
ZDNet has provided links to the leaked data to Georgian authorities who are now investigating the breach.
The central bank warned commercial banks to monitor the possible use of leaked data for fraudulent purposes, although the details shared by the hackers are insufficient for such use.
“Hacked data does not contain personal financial information (such as bank account number, online banking password and etc.) and therefore is insufficient for perpetrators to carry out financial transactions,” noted Georgia’s central bank in a statement released on March 31.
However, it added that banks and financial institutions would tighten control on ongoing financial operations to avert any types of financial fraud.
This is not the first time that Georgian state authorities have been subjected to a large-scale cyberattack. On October 28 last year a massive cyberattack targeted the official websites of the Georgian presidency, courts, city halls and city councils, as well as those of non-governmental organisations and media outlets.
9.1.9 ​Renewable energy sector news
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is allocating €10mn for the reconstruction of Georgia’s Enguri Hydro Power Plant (HPP).
The EBRD had already allocated €28mn in 2018 for the reconstruction of the power plant but then it was discovered that an additional €10mn was needed for the project, said Deputy Finance Minister Giorgi Kakauridze. This brings the total EBRD loan for the HPP's reconstruction to €38mn.
The loan interest rate is 1% and the payment of the principal of the loan will start after eight years grace period.
51​ GEORGIA Country Report ​May 2020 ​​www.intellinews.com