Russia confirmed to be behind cyberattacks on satellite comms, wind farms in Europe
Intelligence from the US, UK, and the EU confirm Kremlin's responsible for several Europe-wide attacks on infrastructure.
Intelligence from the US, UK, and the EU confirm Kremlin's responsible for several Europe-wide attacks on infrastructure.
New intelligence confirms that Russia was behind the attack on ViaSat's satellite KA-SAT network, causing outages for several thousand Ukrainian customers, UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development office reports.
Russia carried out the attack on 24 February, the same day Russian troops poured into Ukraine, sparking a large-scale European war.
"Although the primary target is believed to have been the Ukrainian military, other customers were affected, including personal and commercial internet users," British authorities report.
While Kremlin's military hackers were long-suspected to be behind the attack against the KA-SAT network, today's statement from several Western organizations is the first official confirmation of Russia's involvement.
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The confirmation marks one of the first confirmed instances where a nation-state interferes with commercial satellite services to advance its military goals.
"This is clear and shocking evidence of a deliberate and malicious attack by Russia against Ukraine which had significant consequences on ordinary people and businesses in Ukraine and across Europe," UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
According to information from the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Russian Military Intelligence was almost certainly involved in attacks against Ukrainian government websites and the deployment of Whispergate malware.
British, American, European, and other allies also claim that the Kremlin was behind cyberattacks against wind farms in Europe. While the statement does not specify who the victims were, several Germany-based wind farm operators have been hit since Russia started the war in Ukraine.
Wind farm operators Deutsche Windtechnik and Nordex suffered from what is believed to be ransomware attacks. Another wind turbine operator, Enercon, had the company's remote controls knocked out in relation to the attack on ViaSat's network.
"Cyberattacks targeting Ukraine, including against critical infrastructure, could spill over into other countries and cause systemic effects putting the security of Europe's citizens at risk," reads a statement by the Council of the EU.
Last year, several major financially motivated cyberattacks against critical infrastructure assets in the West rocked the cybersecurity community.
Since Russia-linked ransomware gangs, such as Kremlin-affiliated Conti, attack US critical infrastructure most often, it begs the question of whether ransomware attacks were meant to advance Moscow's goals.
Experts believe that while it's impossible to know for sure, it makes sense to test your adversaries' and their allies' critical infrastructure before starting a military campaign.