A major cyber attack shut down Ukrainian government websites Thursday night and Friday morning. It is a warning for Ukraine to prepare for the worst. The foreign ministry spokesman tells Reuters that the perpetrator is still unknown, but that it is similar to previous attacks from Russia.
The attack affected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet Office and the Council of Security and Defense, among others. The websites featured the following in Ukrainian, Polish and Russian:
"Ukraine! All your personal data has been uploaded to a public network. All data on the computer has been destroyed, it is impossible to recover it. All information about you has been made public, be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future. For Volyn, OUN, UPA, Galitsia, Polesye and for historical countries".
By this it refers to highly nationalist organizations and regions in Ukraine.
Most of the sites are now back up and running. Also, no personal data was stolen. Other government websites have been taken offline to prevent the spread of the cyber attack.
The attack is one of many among rising tensions between Russia and the former part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine. Back in December, the United States and the United Kingdom sent cyberwar experts to the country for this purpose.
Western countries also accuse Russia of stationing tanks, weapons and some one hundred thousand soldiers near the Ukrainian border. NATO claims this is preparation for invasion. Moscow denies this.
Earlier this week, the US and other NATO members met with Russia to ease tension. However, all three rounds of talks, in Geneva, Brussels and Vienna, proved unsuccessful. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says he sees no reason to re-engage in talks with the West.
On the morning of the cyberattack Thursday, Ukrainian authorities arrested several more individuals alleged to be members of a hacker collective. The suspects allegedly attacked more than 50 companies in the United States and Europe with ransomware. As a result, more than one million dollars in ransomware was lost.
