Ukraine Accuses Russia Of Being Behind Attacks On Dozens Of Government Sites, Calls Start Of Hybrid War

JAKARTA - The massive cyber attack that paralyzed dozens of key Ukrainian government websites last week was suspected to be the work of Russia. Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation has accused Russia of using hybrid warfare intended to destabilize an already tense situation and erode trust in the Ukrainian government.

“All evidence suggests Russia was behind the cyberattack. Moscow continues to wage a hybrid war", the Ministry of Digital Transformation said in a statement.

The Ukrainian government says it has evidence that Russia was behind the massive cyberattack. However, they did not reveal what evidence they had.

Some analysts fear this cyber attack could be the start of a military offensive. But the government asked Ukrainians not to panic, saying their personal information was protected.

"(The aim of the attack) is not only to intimidate the public but also to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, stop the work of the public sector and destroy Ukraine's confidence in the authorities", the Ministry of Digital Transformation said as quoted by The Guardian, Monday, January 17.

However, Russia rejects the allegations and says there is no accurate evidence that it was behind the attack.

"We have nothing to do with it. Russia has nothing to do with this cyber attack. Ukraine blames everything on Russia, even the bad weather in their country", Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told CNN International.

The Ukrainian government is said to have found preliminary clues that Russian security services may be behind the cyberattack and targeted a total of 70 government websites.

Meanwhile, Microsoft warns that cyberattacks could prove destructive and affect more organizations than initially thought. The company will continue to analyze the malware and warn that this event could render the government's digital infrastructure inoperable.

“The malware, which is designed to look like ransomware but lacks a ransom recovery mechanism, is intended to be destructive and is designed to render the targeted device inoperable rather than to obtain a ransom”, explains Microsoft.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has yet to identify the culprit behind the attack but warns that the number of organizations affected could be larger than previously thought.

"Our investigation team has identified malware on dozens of affected systems and that number could grow as our investigation continues", Microsoft said.

“The system spans some government, non-profit, and information technology organizations, all based in Ukraine. We don't know the current stage of this attacker's operational cycle or how many other victim organizations may exist in Ukraine or other geographic locations", Microsoft said.

Attacks on El Salvador's Bitcoin move by legacy financial institutions are nothing new. In November 2021, the Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned El Salvador against using Bitcoin as legal tender.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has rejected the country's request for assistance in implementing the Bitcoin Law over alleged environmental concerns and cryptocurrency transparency.

Nevertheless, El Salvador remains steadfast in embracing Bitcoin and in creating an attractive environment for crypto investors and entrepreneurs. Last week, El Salvador's Finance Minister, Alejandro Zelaya, said the country's Bitcoin law had attracted foreign investment.

Especially after El Salvadorans living in the United States continue to voice their support for Nayib Bukele who has adopted Bitcoin as a legal payment in the country. Bukele is increasingly confident and indifferent to the warnings of international financial institutions.