Ukraine hit by ‘massive’ cyber-attack on government websites
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Subject: Ukraine hit by ‘massive’ cyber-attack on government websites Fri Jan 14, 2022 10:34 am
Ukraine hit by ‘massive’ cyber-attack on government websites Jan 14, 2022
Ukraine cyber attack on January 13 2022
Ukraine was hit by ‘massive’ cyber-attack on government websites on Thursday, January 13, 2021. Suspected Russian hackers left the following warning message: ‘Ukrainians … be afraid and expect worse.’ This comes after the EU has started a six-week, large-scale cyberattack exercise on supply chains, and an underwater internet cable was severed in Norway. Ukraine has been hit by a “massive” cyber-attack, with the websites of several government departments including the ministry of foreign affairs and the education ministry knocked out. Officials said it was too early to draw any conclusions but they pointed to a “long record” of Russian cyber assaults against Ukraine, with the attack coming after security talks between Moscow and the US and its allies this week ended in stalemate. Suspected Russian hackers left a message on the foreign ministry website, according to reports. It said: “Ukrainians! … All information about you has become public. Be afraid and expect worse. It’s your past, present and future.” The message reproduced the Ukrainian flag and map crossed out. It mentioned the Ukrainian insurgent army, or UPA, which fought against the Soviet Union during the second world war. There was also a reference to “historical land.” https://youtu.be/JtHrub8rQKM
In a message to the Guardian, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, said: “As a result of a massive cyber-attack, the website of the ministry of foreign affairs and other government agencies are temporarily down.” He added: “Our specialists have already started restoring the work of IT systems and the cyber-police has opened an investigation.” Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, condemned the attacks. He said the EU’s political and security committee and cyber units would meet to decide how to respond and to support Kyiv. “We are going to mobilise all our resources to help Ukraine to tackle this. Sadly, we knew it could happen,” he said. He added: “It’s difficult to say who is behind it. I can’t blame anybody as I have no proof. But we can imagine.” Sweden’s foreign minister, Ann Linde, said the west must stand up to any Russian aggression. “We have to be very firm in our messages to Russia, that if there are attacks against Ukraine, we will be very harsh and very strong and robust in our response,” she said. Sweden stood in solidarity with Kyiv, she added. https://youtu.be/wTx7NTo8FvE
On Thursday, Russian envoys sounded a bleak note after discussions this week with the OSCE in Vienna, as well as Nato and the US. Sergei Ryabkov, who led Russia’s delegation, said talks had hit a dead end. The Kremlin has demanded an assurance Ukraine and Georgia will never join Nato. It wants Nato to remove troops and equipment from its member states in eastern Europe, and to return deployment to 1997 levels, before Nato expanded. On Friday Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would not wait indefinitely for a response. “We have run out of patience,” he said at a news conference. “The west has been driven by hubris and has exacerbated tensions in violation of its obligations and common sense.” Russia has mobilised 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine and sent in military hardware. Its defence ministry announced that further equipment would be relocated from the east of the country as part of what it said was an “exercise”. Ukraine has been repeatedly targeted since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea and kickstarted a war in the eastern Donbas region. About 288,000 cyber-attacks took place in the first 10 months of 2021, according to official figures, with 397,000 in 2020. The attacks have also been directed at critical infrastructure. In winter 2015 suspected Russian hackers took out parts of the country’s power grid, which led to almost a quarter of a million Ukrainians losing power and heat. A repeat attack happened in 2016. In 2017, suspected Russian hackers unleashed the NotPetya virus, causing mayhem. Banks, newspapers and leading companies were targeted. First wreaking havoc official information platforms before attacking on land! [The Guardian] Now subscribe to this blog to get more amazing news curated just for you right in your inbox on a daily basis (here an example of our new newsletter). You can also follow us on Facebook and/ or Twitter. And, by the way you can also make a donation through Paypal. Thank you!
Ukraine hit by ‘massive’ cyber-attack on government websites
Subject: Ukraine hit by ‘massive’ cyber-attack on government websites 
Fri Jan 14, 2022 10:34 am
