Ukraine: We have evidence that Russia is responsible for cyber attack

Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Development said on Sunday that it has evidence that Russia is behind the recent hacker attack. That attack shut down several government sites in Ukraine. Russia still denies any involvement.

All kinds of media like The Guardian report a brief statement issued by the Ukrainian ministry on Sunday. It says that “all the evidence points to Russia” as the country behind the recent cyber attack. Ukraine says that ‘Moscow continues to wage hybrid war’.

Based on initial findings says Ukraine that hacker group known as UNC1151 from Belarus could be behind the operation. This would be a close Russian ally. Earlier, the country hinted at involvement from Russia; the Ukrainian government pointed to the fact that there is a “long history of Russian cyber-attacks against Ukraine”.

According to Ukraine, the attack was not only intended to intimidate society, but also to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, including by undermining residents’ trust in their government. The attack took place on Friday. Several Ukrainian government websites were attacked by hackers.

A threatening message was also posted on affected websites telling Ukrainians, among others, that all information about them has become publicly known and that all personal data has been uploaded to a common network. The digital ministry has since informed Ukrainians that there is no reason to panic and that their personal information was protected.

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center has Evidence has since been found for a ‘destructive malware operation’ targeting multiple organizations in Ukraine. The first malware first appeared in affected systems on Thursday. According to the center, there is a chance that the impact will be greater and that not only systems of various governments, non-profit organizations and information technology organizations in Ukraine will be or will be affected.

Microsoft says that the investigation is still ongoing and that no links have been found between the observed hacker activities and known groups. According to Microsoft, it is malware designed to look like ransomware, but would be missing a hostage element; the intent is to disable target systems rather than monetize them.

Russia has previously denied the allegations, and a spokesperson reiterated that to CNN. A spokesman said his country has nothing to do with it and that Ukraine holds Russia responsible for everything, “even the bad weather in their country.”