Microsoft Reports Hackers From Russia Attacked 128 Organizations From 42 Countries Supporting Ukraine

Russian government-sponsored hackers have carried out several cyber-espionage operations in countries allied with Ukraine. (photo : doc. pixabay)

JAKARTA - Russian government-sponsored hackers are accused of carrying out several cyber-espionage operations in countries allied with Ukraine. Microsoft in a report on Wednesday, June 22 stated if the operation was allegedly carried out since the February 24 Moscow invasion of the country.

"The cyber aspect of today's war extends far beyond Ukraine and reflects the unique nature of cyberspace," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in the report.

The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report. Moscow has in the past denied carrying out cyber espionage missions to foreign countries, saying they were "against the principles of Russia's foreign policy."

Researchers have traced a series of destructive cyberattacks on Ukrainian entities to Russian state-backed hacker groups since the conflict began.

The Microsoft report also said researchers found 128 organizations in 42 countries outside of Ukraine were also targeted by the same group of hackers in hidden hacks focused on espionage.

According to the report, outside of Ukraine, the United States is the country most targeted by such infiltration attempts. However, member states of the NATO military alliance, which has provided critical support to Ukraine amid the conflict, have also been affected.

These attacks included organizations based in Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Poland, as well as Finland and Sweden, countries that have voiced a desire to join the NATO alliance.

"The targets, it appears, are mostly governments, although they also include think tanks, humanitarian groups and key infrastructure providers," the report said.

Microsoft says hacks against allies are successful about 29% of the time and in some cases lead to data theft.

US foreign policy experts say they fear Russia's combined kinetic and cyber warfare strategy against Ukraine will serve as a model in future conflicts.

In an earlier report, Microsoft indicated the cyberattack, which involved deleting malware data, laid the groundwork for a military mission in Ukraine.

Recent research cites six incidents since the invasion when cyberattacks against targets in Ukraine appeared to precede real-world military attacks. Russian hackers are said to have also tried to break into the computer network of a Ukrainian nuclear power company a day before Russian troops occupied the company's largest factory.

Russia called the invasion a "special operation" to eradicate the "Nazis". While Kyiv and the West have called it a baseless justification for a war to erase Ukraine's identity as a sovereign nation.