Russia kicked-off Ukraine invasion with satellite internet cyber attack

Russia's alleged cyber attack campaign against Ukraine appears to have continued up to the very minutes before the invasion.

According to Reuters reports, the US, UK and European Union have formally blamed Russia for a large-scale cyber attack that disrupted Viasat’s satellite internet service an hour ahead of the 24 February assault.

The hacking efforts permanently destroyed “tens of thousands” of satellite terminals, Viasat said, while the UK noted that the attack affected central European internet users and wind farms in addition to the Ukrainian military and some civilian customers.

The accusations come in response to “new UK and US intelligence” linking Russia to the cyber attack, according to the UK Foreign Office. Russia has not responded to the claims as of this writing but has historically denied cyber attacks regardless of evidence.

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The hack targeting Viasat likely had its intended effect. Ukraine cyber security official Victor Zhora disclosed in March that the anti-satellite effort led to a “huge loss” in communications at the very start of the war.

With that said, Ukraine has been better prepared in at least some instances. It claims to have fended off an attack against an energy provider in April, for example. While this latest attribution won’t dissuade Russia from conducting more attacks, it might signal that Ukraine and its allies are more aware of how to defend themselves online.