Ukraine says it thwarted ‘serious’ Russian hack against its power grid
Kyiv says millions would have been left without electricity had attack been successful; officials say operation was weeks in the making and launched ahead of Moscow’s invasion
By Frank Bajak
12 April 2022
BOSTON (AP) — Russian military hackers attempted to knock out power to millions of Ukrainians last week in a long-planned attack, but were foiled, Ukrainian government officials said Tuesday. At one targeted high-voltage power station, the hackers succeeded in penetrating and disrupting part of the industrial control system, but people defending the station were able to prevent electrical outages, the Ukrainians said.
“The threat was serious, but it was prevented in a timely manner,” a top Ukrainian cybersecurity official, Victor Zhora, told reporters through an interpreter. “It looks that we were very lucky.” The hackers from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency used an upgraded version of malware first seen in its successful 2016 attack that caused blackouts in Kyiv, officials said, that was customized to target multiple substations. They simultaneously seeded malware designed to wipe out computer operating systems, hindering recovery.
Authorities did not specify how many substations were targeted or their location, citing security concerns, but a deputy energy minister, Farid Safarov, said “2 million people would have been without electricity supply if it was successful.”
more.............. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ukraine-says-it-thwarted-serious-russian-hack-against-its-power-grid/
Kyiv says millions would have been left without electricity had attack been successful; officials say operation was weeks in the making and launched ahead of Moscow’s invasion
By Frank Bajak
12 April 2022
BOSTON (AP) — Russian military hackers attempted to knock out power to millions of Ukrainians last week in a long-planned attack, but were foiled, Ukrainian government officials said Tuesday. At one targeted high-voltage power station, the hackers succeeded in penetrating and disrupting part of the industrial control system, but people defending the station were able to prevent electrical outages, the Ukrainians said.
“The threat was serious, but it was prevented in a timely manner,” a top Ukrainian cybersecurity official, Victor Zhora, told reporters through an interpreter. “It looks that we were very lucky.” The hackers from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency used an upgraded version of malware first seen in its successful 2016 attack that caused blackouts in Kyiv, officials said, that was customized to target multiple substations. They simultaneously seeded malware designed to wipe out computer operating systems, hindering recovery.
Authorities did not specify how many substations were targeted or their location, citing security concerns, but a deputy energy minister, Farid Safarov, said “2 million people would have been without electricity supply if it was successful.”
more.............. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ukraine-says-it-thwarted-serious-russian-hack-against-its-power-grid/
