Cybersecurity Ukraine Accuses Belarusian Hackers Of Helping Russia Exploit Country's Military's Personal Email

JAKARTA - Ukrainian cybersecurity officials said Friday, February 25, that hackers from neighboring Belarus had targeted the personal email addresses of Ukrainian military personnel and related individuals.

In an announcement posted to Facebook, the Ukraine Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) said hackers used password-stealing emails to break into Ukrainian soldiers' email accounts. They also use the compromised address book to send further malicious messages.

CERT blamed the group codenamed "UNC1151" for the hack. They identified the members as Belarusian military officers based in Minsk.

The Belarusian Embassy in London did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment from Reuters on this matter.

Ukraine has been hit by digital intrusions and acts of denial of service both ahead of and during Russia's invasion that began on Thursday. Belarus has offered its territory as a launching pad for Russian troops, allowing Moscow forces to rapidly advance towards the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

Western cybersecurity researchers are increasingly seeing signs that Belarus and Russia may be coordinating their malicious activities online.

Benjamin Read, director of US cybersecurity firm Mandiant, said he reviewed Ukraine's new cybersecurity alert and concluded that it indicated a hack by a Belarus-linked hacking group, codenamed UNC1151.

"The actions of UNC1151, which we believe are related to the Belarusian military, are worrying because the personal data of Ukrainian citizens and the military could be exploited in an occupation scenario," Read said in a statement.

UNC1151 is known, Read explained, for stealing and then leaking sensitive information to influence public opinion. They have previously targeted the NATO alliance and sought to erode support for the organization.