MS "Malware Targeting Ukrainian Government and Civilians Discovered"... Alleged Russian Involvement

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] Microsoft (MS) has warned that malicious code waiting for execution commands has been discovered in dozens of Ukrainian government departments and private networks. Since Ukraine recently pointed to Russia as the culprit behind a large-scale cyberattack targeting its government websites, there is analysis suggesting that Russia may also be behind this malicious code.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 16th (local time), citing an MS blog, that such malicious code was found in Ukraine, which recently suffered a cyberattack.

MS explained, "The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) has detected a destructive malicious program targeting multiple Ukrainian institutions," adding, "The targets of the malicious program include government departments, non-profit organizations, and information technology organizations based in Ukraine." They further noted that the program "is designed to appear like ransomware, but rather than demanding money to restore the system, it is created to render the targeted devices inoperable."

MS stated that it has currently identified the malicious code in dozens of affected systems, and expects this number to increase as investigations continue. NYT reported that although these malicious codes have not yet received execution commands from the attackers, the possibility of imminent execution cannot be ruled out.

There are also speculations that Russia may be behind this malicious code. As rumors spread that Russia would invade Ukraine in February, escalating localized tensions, cyberattacks have already occurred.

Earlier, on the 13th and 14th, Ukraine suffered a large-scale hacking attack and has pointed to Russia as the culprit. At that time, the websites of the attacked institutions displayed messages in Ukrainian, Russian, and Polish stating, "Ukrainians! All your personal information has been leaked on the internet. All information on your computer has been deleted and cannot be recovered."

Jake Sullivan, U.S. White House National Security Advisor, said in an interview with CBS that the government is reviewing MS's report and suggested the Russian involvement by stating, "Because Russia uses various means, including cyberattacks, to provoke Ukraine, we have been warning about this through public and private channels for months." He added that even if this incident is concluded to be caused by Russia, "it would not be surprising at all."