Ukrainian authorities have blamed Russia for a cyberattack on their government websites, alleging that Moscow is engaging in a “hybrid war” on it also masses troops along the border.
In a statement, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Development said that all evidence indicates that Russia is behind the cyberattack. “Moscow continues to wage a hybrid war and is actively building up its forces in the information and cyberspaces,” the ministry said.
Microsoft said on Saturday that a dozen of their computers at unspecified Ukrainian government agencies were infected with destructive malware disguised as ransomware, according to the Associated Press.
Microsoft said it detected the malware infection on Thursday, which coincides with the reported attack that simultaneously took some 70 Ukrainian government websites temporarily offline.
The latest cyber attack comes amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and crisis negotiations aimed at preventing another Russian invasion into the Donbas region.
During an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told host Margaret Brennan that the U.S. and private companies are working to determine the source of the cyber attack.
However, Sullivan told Brennan “This is part of the Russian playbook.”