Cyberattack Disrupts Ukraine Cyber Briefing Feed, Official Says

The livestream of a press conference by Ukrainian authorities on Russian hacking was repeatedly interrupted by a cyberattack, according to a senior government official.

(Bloomberg) — The livestream of a press conference by Ukrainian authorities on Russian hacking was repeatedly interrupted by a cyberattack, according to a senior government official. 

Yurii Shchyhol, head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, said Ukraine was targeted with 2,194 cyberattacks in 2022 — a quarter of which targeted the government. Among the other most common targets were the energy, logistics, telecommunications and financial sectors, he said, during a press conference in which the online broadcast was repeatedly interrupted.

Phishing messages, in which hackers send malicious software via email, were the most common method of attempted intrusion. He said hackers associated with the Russia government were responsible for the malicious activity.

Telecommunications providers in Ukraine have battled to remain online, replacing more than 3,200 kilometers (1,988 miles) of optical fiber lines and investing about UAH 8 billion ($217 million) in the development of communication networks, Shchyhol said. Still, he said communications with occupied territories were difficult, as Russians have tended to cut them off.

The nature of the attack on the Ukrainian broadcast wasn’t immediately known. 

 

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