© RFE/RLOleksandr Tkachuk, Ukraine's security service chief, said on February 15 that the attacks were orchestrated by the Russian security service with help from criminal hackers.
Oleksandr Tkachuk, Ukraine's Security Service chief, said on February 15 that the attacks were orchestrated by the Russian security service with help from criminal hackers, and looked like they were designed by the same people who created malware known as "BlackEnergy."
Ukraine blamed hackers using BlackEnergy for knocking out part of Kyiv's power grid in December 2015, and for attacks last year on the Defense and Finance ministries and the State Treasury.
"Russian hackers and infobots become an important tool of the aggression against our country," Tkachuk said.
The latest attacks employed a mechanism dubbed "Telebots" to infect computers that control infrastructure, he said.
Moscow has repeatedly denied it is waging a "cyberwar" on Ukraine.
Slovakian cybersecurity firm ESET said it believes the Telebots evolved from the BlackEnergy hacking effort.
Separately on February 15, cybersecurity firm CyberX said that it had uncovered an espionage operation in Ukraine that had compromised more than 60 victims, including the Energy Ministry and a scientific research institute.
Reader Comments
Kiev stopped buying coal from Donbas as a result of a blocade [Link]
"The Cabinet of Ministers declared a state of emergency today within the Ukrainian energy system.
The decision was made due to the blockade of coal supplies originating from the Donbass.
"The decision made," - said Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman, "Due to this coal shortage, is completely artificial and the list of names of people who have done this, know the whole of Ukraine".
However, Groisman added; "It is unacceptable to make the people of Ukraine suffer simply to fight the government."
Ukraine keeps shooting itself so hard, that the doctor might recommend an amputation.