According to data from Microsoft researchers, Ukraine has undergone 237 cyber attacks since February 24. The hackers connected with russia have been preparing to attack our country since March 2021, Bloomberg reports.
The publication informs that some hacker groups (at least six) provided access to Ukrainian organizations including defensive, informational, and energetic networks to collect strategic data and battle-field intelligence.
Also, Microsoft researchers detected around 40 destructive attacks which irrevocably destroyed files in dozens of organizations all over Ukraine. The company's report states that more than 40% of these attacks were directed at the organizations maintaining the critical infrastructure.
Besides, the cybercriminals were making phishing attacks on Ukrainian soldiers to collect intelligence that could be used by the russian army afterward.
Microsoft noticed an interesting feature - the russian cyberattacks coincided with the invaders' military operations.
The russian cyber operation also includes a big phishing campaign organized by the Nobelium hacker group. They oppose those who seek international support for Ukraine.
At the beginning of 2021, the Nobelium tried to get access to IT companies providing services to NATO members' governments including the USA and Europe. The Nobelium succeeded in stealing data from the western foreign policy organizations to estimate NATO's reaction to russian military actions.
Bloomberg reports that the Nobelium, also known as APT 29 and Cozy Bear, may be connected with the russian intelligence service; the group was accused of attacking the delivery chain with the participation of SolarWinds Corp. during the presidential elections in the USA in 2016.
In 2021 suspected russian hackers joined the networks of IT and energy providers which became cyber-attack objectives after February 24. The cyber-attack objectives include Kitsoft company, a provider of IT services to the Ukrainian government departments, which websites were spoiled with threat texts "fear and wait for the worst" and statements about stolen personal data.
Microsoft declared that the number of cyberattacks in Ukraine may grow and the hacker groups connected with russia may attack NATO members. That's why the head of the company appealed to organizations to take the warnings published by the US state agencies seriously.
At the beginning of April, the Armageddon group made a new attack on the Ukrainian state organizations by spreading dangerous emails.
Earlier, the russian hackers connected with GRU tried to cut off the electricity in the Vinnytsia region.