Ukrainian government websites were hit by a cyberattack Friday as the hackers warned people to “be afraid and expect the worst,” NPR reports.
Websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cabinet of Ministers and security and defense council were taken over, and a message replaced all the previous texts that read: “Ukrainian! All your personal data was uploaded to the public network. All data on the computer is destroyed, it is impossible to restore it.”
NEWS IN KYIV: Several Ukrainian government websites down due to a major a cyberattack. Below is the @MFA_Ukraine website now. It reads in part: "Ukrainians!...All information about you has become public, be afraid and expect worse." Sites of MOD and Education ministry also down. pic.twitter.com/3lbA06Q3Fl
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) January 14, 2022
- “All information about you has become public, be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future,” the hackers added, per the report.
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Twitter: “As a result of a massive cyber attack, the websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of other government agencies are temporarily down. Our specialists have already started restoring the work of IT systems, and the cyberpolice has opened an investigation.”
As a result of a massive cyber attack, the websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a number of other government agencies are temporarily down. Our specialists have already started restoring the work of IT systems, and the cyberpolice has opened an investigation.
— Oleg Nikolenko (@OlegNikolenko_) January 14, 2022
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Josep Borrell condemned the attacks, according to The Guardian.
Borrel said that the European Union’s political and security committee will decide how to respond to the situation in Kyiv.
- “We are going to mobilise all our resources to help Ukraine to tackle this. Sadly, we knew it could happen,” he said, per the report, adding: “It’s difficult to say (who is behind it). I can’t blame anybody as I have no proof. But we can imagine.”
In the past, Russian hackers have been blamed for similar attacks in Ukraine, per NPR. Georgia faced something similar in 2018 during a conflict with Moscow over South Ossetia.
The attack comes as about 100,000 Russian troops have amassed on the Ukraine border.