People attend a ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan
Highlight
- The cyberattack affected the websites of Ukraine’s government agencies and major banks, officials said.
- Russia sent signals that it might retreat from the brink of invasion, but the West asked for evidence.
- At least 10 Ukrainian websites stopped working due to DDoS attacks.
A cyberattack occurred on Tuesday on the websites of Ukraine’s government agencies and major banks, Ukrainian officials said.
The attack, one of several hacking operations targeting Ukraine, came after weeks of fears that Russia might invade its neighboring country. Russia sent signals on Tuesday that it was retreating from the brink of aggression, but Western powers demanded proof.
The DDoS attacks have caused at least 10 Ukrainian websites, including those of the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Ukraine’s two largest state-owned banks, to stop.
Customers of Ukraine’s largest state-owned bank, Privatbank and state-owned Sberbank, reported problems with online payments and the banks’ apps.
The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security of Ukraine’s Ministry of Information said in a statement: “There is no threat to depositors’ funds.” Deputy Minister Viktor Zora confirmed the cyber attack.
The ministry suggested that Russia could be behind Tuesday’s incident, without providing details. “It is possible that the attacker resorted to petty prank tactics, as his aggressive plans are not fully working,” the statement said.
In mid-January, Ukraine accused Russia of being behind a cyberattack that simultaneously temporarily disabled about 70 Ukrainian government websites. During last month’s attack, an announcement posted said Ukrainians should “fear and expect the worst.”
Russia launched one of the most devastating cyber attacks ever on Ukraine in 2017 with the Notpetya virus, causing more than $10 billion in damages worldwide. Disguised as ransomware, this virus was a so-called “wiper” that wiped out entire networks.
The United States has publicly accused Moscow of preparing to invade Ukraine and underlined that cyber security remains a significant concern.
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