SBU investigates Russian involvement in cyber attack on Ukrainian government’s websites

SBU

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) is investigating the involvement of Russian special services in a cyber attack on Ukrainian state authorities on the night of January 13-14. SBU reported it on its website.

According to the SBU, a total of more than 70 state websites were hacked, 10 of which faced an unauthorized tampering. No content of the sites was simultaneously changed, and no personal data was leaked, the SBU’s statement said.

The SBU noted this was a so-called supply chain attack. 

"The attackers hacked the infrastructure of a commercial company that had access with administrative rights to the web resources affected. The important task was to establish the method of carrying out the attack, collect digital evidence, as well as to restore functionality of web resources, ” the statement reads.

All the elements of the happened attack are documented within the framework of the previously opened criminal proceedings of the SBU.

According to the intelligence service, "there are some signs of involvement in the incident of hacker groups associated with the intelligence services of the Russian Federation."

As IMI reported, on the night of January 13-14, hackers launched a large-scale cyber attack targeting several Ukrainian government websites. The websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, Actions and others were attacked.

The Security Service of Ukraine stated that no personal data was leaked.