Ukraine says Russia behind cyberattack in 'hybrid war' move

KYIV – Ukraine said Sunday that Russia was down a cyberattack that defaced its authorities websites and alleged that Russia is engaged successful an expanding “hybrid war” against its neighbor.

The connection from the Ministry of Digital Development came a time aft Microsoft said dozens of machine systems astatine an unspecified fig of Ukrainian authorities agencies had been infected with destructive malware disguised arsenic ransomware. That disclosure suggested the attention-grabbing defacement onslaught connected authoritative websites past week was a diversion.

“All grounds indicates that Russia is down the cyberattack. Moscow continues to wage a hybrid warfare and is actively gathering up its forces successful the accusation and cyberspaces,” the ministry connection said.

The onslaught comes arsenic the menace of a Russian penetration of Ukraine looms and diplomatic talks to resoluteness the tense standoff look stalled.

Microsoft said successful a abbreviated blog station Saturday that it archetypal detected the malware connected Thursday. That would coincide with the onslaught that simultaneously took immoderate 70 Ukrainian authorities websites temporarily offline.

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Microsoft said successful a different, method station that the affected systems “span aggregate government, non-profit, and accusation exertion organizations.” It said it did not cognize however galore much organizations successful Ukraine oregon elsewhere mightiness beryllium affected but said it expected to larn of much infections.

On Sunday, U.S. nationalist information advisor Jake Sullivan said U.S. and private-sector companies were inactive moving to find the root of the attacks. He said the United States has warned for months astir the anticipation of cyberattacks from Russia and has been moving with Ukraine to amended that country's defenses.

“This is portion of the Russian playbook,” helium said connected CBS television's “Face the Nation” program.

A apical backstage assemblage cybersecurity enforcement successful Kyiv, Oleh Derevianko, told The Associated Press that the intruders penetrated the authorities networks done a shared bundle supplier successful a supply-chain onslaught similar the 2020 SolarWinds Russian cyberespionage run that targeted the U.S. government.

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In 2017, Russia targeted Ukraine with 1 of the astir damaging cyberattacks connected grounds with the NotPetya virus, causing much than $10 cardinal successful harm globally. That virus, besides disguised arsenic ransomware, was a alleged “wiper” that erased full networks.

In Friday’s wide web defacement, a connection near by the attackers claimed they had destroyed information and placed it online, which Ukrainian authorities said had not happened.

The connection told Ukrainians to “be acrophobic and expect the worst.”

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Frank Bajak successful Boston and Colleen Long successful Philadelphia contributed to this story.

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