Ukraine Suffers from Extensive Digital Assault
Ukraine's vital government databases, regarded as essential infrastructure, have suffered a cyber attack that the authorities attribute to Russia.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, this is the most substantial external cyber attack on Ukraine's state registers in recent history.
"Due to a targeted attack, the operations of the Unified and State Registers, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, have temporarily ceased," she stated. "Presently, we're collaborating with our team and experts from other services to combat cyber attacks and rehabilitate the systems. It's evident that the attack was orchestrated by the Russians with the intention of disrupting the operations of Ukraine's crucial infrastructure."
She specified that the initial steps would involve restoring The State Register of Civil Status Acts of Citizens, the sole state register of legal entities and entrepreneurs, along with the state register of property rights and encumbrances. She predicted that this restoration process should commence within two weeks.
Ukraine's Security Service has initiated a criminal investigation into the incident under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which pertains to violations of the laws and customs of war.
"From the very beginning, the SSU Cyber Security Department was present on the scene, swiftly joining in the attempts to halt the cyber attack," said Volodymyr Karastelyov, acting head of the SSU cyber security department. "At present, we're engaged in three main areas: repelling the attack, rebuilding the infrastructure, and documenting this war crime."
"Our primary suspects are Russian intelligence services, particularly a GRU hacker group, responsible for this cyberattack," Karastelyov added.
Russian cyber attacks on Ukraine escalated around the time of the invasion in February 2022 and have persisted since then. The objective is generally to induce chaos in areas ranging from electrical grid systems to internet connectivity. For instance, last year, Kyivstar, the country's largest mobile provider, was subject to a similar attack, leading to widespread service disruptions.
At a recent NATO conference, U.K. Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden indicated that foreign adversaries were now employing AI in their assaults.
"Let it be clear: the United Kingdom, alongside other participants in this room, is vigilantly monitoring Russia. We are fully aware of their strategies and are thwarting their attacks both publicly and discreetly," McFadden stated.
The Ukrainian government is currently collaborating with domestic and international experts to combat the cyber attack and rehabilitate the affected government databases, which are believed to be orchestrated by Russian intelligence services.
This latest cyber attack on Ukraine's essential infrastructure continues a pattern of Russian cyber attacks on the country, with the objective to induce chaos in various sectors, as seen in previous attacks like the one on Kyivstar's mobile network.
