The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said today that the country is the target of an ongoing "wave of hybrid warfare" that seeks to instill anxiety and undermine the confidence of Ukrainian society in the state's ability to defend its citizens.
"Ukraine is facing hacks aimed at systematically sowing panic, spreading false information and distorting the real state of affairs," the SSU said.
SSU added that it had to deal with many such attempts starting with hostile intelligence services and bot fleets targeting social networks and the media.
OdToday Russia is making great efforts to destabilize the situation in Ukraine. It not only draws troops to our borders, but also uses all tools of hybrid warfare, ie cyberattacks & disinformation campaigns.
For example: the geography of reports on fake minelaying this January. pic.twitter.com/aw9f4Gx0mu
- MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) February 1, 2022
“The SSU observes such manifestations of hybrid warfare in social networks, in some mass media, in dissemination news for the state etc.”
Last week, the Ukrainian government security service dismantled two botnets which were linked to Russian special services and controlled 18.000 social network accounts.
The two botnets were used to spread fake news that spread panic and sent bomb threats that would fall en masse across the country.
On February 1, the Ukrainian Computer Emergency Response Team also warned of attacks against Ukrainian authorities, coordinated by the hacking group Gamaredon (backed by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
A day later, the SSU reported that it had blocked more than 120 attacks targeting information systems of Ukrainian state institutions.
Microsoft also reported on 4 February that Gamaredon has launched a wave of e-fishing targeting organizations in Ukraine.
Investigators better safetyof Redmond added that the ongoing cyber campaignespionages by the hacking group Gamaredon is coordinated from Crimea, confirming the SSU's assessment that these are FSB officers.
