Ukraine said on Sunday that there was “evidence” that Russia was involved in a large-scale cyber attack targeting several Ukrainian ministries and government sites this week. According to representatives of the Ministry of Digitalization, the purpose of the cyber attack was “to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and undermine the confidence of Ukrainians in power.”
“At the moment, all the evidence shows that Russia is behind the cyber attack,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Affairs said in a statement. The ministry said the sabotage was “an expression of Russia’s ongoing hybrid war against Ukraine since 2014.”
The aim of the cyber attack was “not only to threaten the community, but also to destabilize the situation in Ukraine and undermine Ukrainians’ confidence in power,” the AFP report said.
For its part, Microsoft has warned of a massive cyber attack on Ukrainian government ministries and government sites, which could disrupt any government structure if Kiev finds a hand in Moscow.
“Malware similar to ransomware but without recovery mechanism aims to destroy and deactivate targeted sites, not to recover the ransom,” the US company wrote on its blog.
Also, according to Microsoft, the attack appears to have targeted more bodies than initially thought. “We have detected this malware on dozens of (Ukrainian) government-owned computers, but there are also NGOs and information technology companies in Ukraine. It is not possible at this stage to say what the operational cycle of this attack is and to what extent. Other companies may be affected,” the company added.
Microsoft said it had not yet identified the source of the attacks. Ukraine and the West see Moscow’s hand in them, and some believe it could be a preliminary attack on the ground army, citing source Agerpres.
The Kremlin has denied Ukraine’s initial allegations
On Friday, Ukraine said there were “early signs” of a possible involvement in Russia’s secret services. The Kremlin immediately dismissed Friday’s allegations.
The cyber attack erupted as tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated, with Kiev accusing Moscow of mobilizing troops along its border in preparation for a military invasion. The attack had a warning message: “Expect fear and worse.”
Also read: Russia conducts tank exercises on Ukraine border “The drums of war are beating hard” – US Ambassador
Author: A.A.
“Evil gamer. Amateur music trailblazer. Alcohol geek. Problem solver. Coffee advocate. Troublemaker. Infuriatingly humble zombieaholic.”