Ukrainian Government Warns Of Massive Cyber Attack Threat From Russia?

JAKARTA - The Ukrainian government said it had seen online warnings that hackers were preparing to launch a massive attack against government institutions, banks and the defense sector in its country on Tuesday, February 22.

Ukraine has suffered a series of cyber attacks in recent weeks that Kyiv blames on the Russian side. By contrast, Moscow, caught up in an escalating confrontation with the West over Ukraine, has denied involvement in the attack.

Ukraine's state-run cybersecurity agency, CERT-UA, said Monday, February 2 that it had found a warning on a hacking forum.

One message had "referred to server leases to prepare for new attacks on public sector sites, the banking sector, and the defense sector," the source was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Ukraine said last week Russia was likely behind the attack that brought down the defense ministry's web portal and disrupted banking and terminal services at a major state-owned lender.

More online attacks and warnings come as Western countries accuse Russia of planning an invasion of Ukraine. Moscow denies planning any attacks but demands security guarantees including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Ukraine has previously accused Russia of launching cyber attacks to sow panic and undermine its financial system. Cyber attacks are considered to be the beginning of a major attack from a real war. Moreover, US spy satellites again saw Russia sending troops back near the Russian border.