Russia Allegedly Hacked Viasat in Ukraine Invasion

Some Western intelligence agencies are investigating the hacking that occurred on the day of the start of Ukraine’s invasion, and some data suggests that Russia is responsible for it.

While cyberattacks haven’t been a big part of the Russia-Ukraine war, it seems that this is the most significant occurrence of cyber-attacks since the war started. This satellite hack has affected both government and military communications in Ukraine.

The said intelligence agencies are digging into who may have been responsible for the hacking of Viasat while also saying that Ukraine’s network has proved much tougher to such attacks than previously thought.

The attack worked by wiping data off devices on the day of the invasion’s start. Viasat said they’re working on restoring services for those impacted, and they also provided replacement modems for some European users.

This hack impacted more European countries, but not the United Kingdom.

Although the agencies investigating this attack have not publicly confirmed yet that Russia was behind the attack due to the lack of evidence, they believe that it is.

A Western official said that if it is proven to have been Russia behind the attack, it would “very much fit with what we expect them to do” – use their cyber capability in their military campaigns.

US cyber officials have also said they are aware of possible threats to their satellite communications networks. Because of this reason, providers have been asked to improve their security to protect users against potential threats.

Many expected large-scale cyber-attacks during this war, but this hasn’t been the case so far. 

Another reason may be that previous attacks on Ukraine systems in January and February may have helped make Ukraine’s systems more resilient. That is why keeping cybersecurity updated is crucial.

These have left the world waiting for the next cyberattack as Russia warned they’d retaliate against countries that imposed sanctions on them.