Ukraine's largest mobile network operator, Kyivstar, suffered a significant cyber attack suspected to be orchestrated by Russia. This attack disrupted mobile and internet services for millions of subscribers, impacting a substantial portion of Ukraine's population. CEO Oleksandr Komarov attributed the attack to the ongoing conflict with Russia, stating that their IT infrastructure had been partially destroyed, resulting in damaged and locked customer databases.

The attack remains under investigation, with suspicions pointing towards Russian security services. Kyivstar, owned by Veon, is actively working to restore services and is collaborating with law enforcement. The financial impact of the attack is yet to be determined.

The attack on Kyivstar coincided with other cyber incidents. Monobank, a major Ukrainian payment system, faced a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack but managed to repel it. Additionally, major financial institutions such as PrivatBank and Oschadbank reported disruptions to their ATM machines and card terminals due to the Kyivstar outage.

Although there was significant infrastructure damage, Kyivstar assured customers that personal data remained uncompromised and pledged compensation for service disruptions.

This cyber attack aligns with a broader pattern of Russian cyber aggression against Ukraine. Russia had escalated cyberattacks leading up to the full-scale invasion, targeting Ukrainian users extensively. Ukrainian authorities had reported a substantial increase in cyber incidents before and during the invasion, indicating ongoing cyber warfare.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington, D.C., to secure additional aid amid the conflict with Russia coincides with these cyber attacks. Discussions with President Joe Biden and congressional leaders involve seeking continued vital U.S. support for Ukraine. However, challenges persist in securing additional funding for Ukraine as the White House faces financial constraints and political debates surrounding allocating funds for Ukraine versus measures at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In the following days, Ukraine might witness ongoing efforts to restore services, investigations into the cyber attacks, and continued diplomatic efforts to garner support amid the conflict with Russia.

Source and Further reading.

Nguyen, B. (2023, December 12). Ukraine’s largest mobile company hit by cyberattack blamed on Russia. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/britneynguyen/2023/12/12/ukraines-largest-mobile-company-hit-by-cyberattack-blamed-on-russia/?sh=3ca6e1522a05

ABC News. (2023, December 12). Ukrainian service providers wary of Russian role in latest cyber attack disrupting internet and mobile networks. ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-13/ukraine-cyber-attack-knocks-out-service/103221438

Ukraine’s largest telecom carrier hit with cyberattack of presumed Russian origin. (2023, December 12). SiliconANGLE. https://siliconangle.com/2023/12/12/ukraines-largest-telecom-carrier-hit-cyberattack-presumed-russian-origin/