Ukraine has been suffering some major cyberattacks for quite some time now. Recently, Microsoft shared new information about the Gamaredon threat group that has been attacking Ukrainian entities since 2017. Now, a strong DDoS attack spree hit the nation, wrecking several government websites.
Diving into details
The attacks targeted websites belonging to the armed forces, public radio, defense ministry, and the two biggest national banks - Oschadbank and Privatbank. Ukraine’s Cyberpolice stated that the attacks also disrupted ATM services. While the banks’ websites are still accessible, customers were unable to log into their online accounts. The attacks were quite severe as even after six hours, the victim websites were offline. While the culprits have not yet been identified.
The impact
The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security posted that Privatbank users faced issues with the bank’s mobile app and payments. Some other customers noticed incorrect balances and recent transactions.
A wave of hybrid warfare
- The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) reported that the nation is suffering from ongoing waves of hybrid warfare, performed by threat actors linked to Russia.
- The attacks are conducted via social networks and mass media, among others.
- In mid-January, the WhisperGate malware attacked several government websites and several were defaced as a result of threat actors abusing a vulnerability in October CMS.
- The SSU has razed bot farms targeting Ukrainian citizens with fake news and bomb threats to monger panic. Throughout January, the agency blocked more than 120 attacks targeting state institutions.
The bottom line
The ongoing cyber siege is garnering a lot of attention. This wave of DDoS attacks is one of the most powerful ones against state websites. Ukraine accounts for some of the highest volumes of malware attacks in Europe. Nevertheless, the National Police is conducting an investigation into the recent DDoS attacks.
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