Ukraine blamed Russia for the hack that affected his government websites, alleging that Moscow is involved in a growing “hybrid war” against him.
The statement by the Ministry of Digital Development came after Microsoft reported on Saturday that dozens of computer systems at an unspecified number of Ukrainian government agencies were infected with destructive malware disguised as ransomware. That revelation suggested last week’s attack on official websites was a distraction.
“All evidence indicates that Russia is behind the cyberattack. Moscow continues to wage hybrid warfare and is actively building its forces in information and cyber spaces,” the ministry said.
The attack comes as the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms, as diplomatic talks to resolve the tense standoff appear stalled.
On Saturday, Microsoft reported that it detected the malware on Thursday. That would coincide with the attack that simultaneously temporarily took some 70 Ukrainian government websites offline.
The company said the affected systems “span multiple government, nonprofit, and information technology organizations.” He said he did not know how many other organizations in Ukraine or elsewhere may have been affected, but he hoped to hear of more infections.
Oleh Derevianko, a cybersecurity expert in Kiev, told The Associated Press that hackers penetrated government networks through a shared software provider in a supply chain attack similar to the Russian SolarWinds 2020 cyberespionage case that targeted the United States government.
In 2017, Russia targeted Ukraine with one of the most damaging cyberattacks on record with the NotPetya virus, causing more than $10 billion in damage worldwide. That virus, also disguised as ransomware, wiped out entire networks.
In Friday’s cyberattack, a message left by the hackers claimed they had destroyed the data and placed it online, but Ukrainian authorities denied this.
The message told Ukrainians to “be afraid and expect the worst.”
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