A data-wiping hacking tool was found on hundreds of computers in Ukraine Wednesday, according to cybersecurity researchers, raising concerns that a destructive cyberattack was unfolding as the Russian military moved into Ukraine’s separatist regions.
It wasn’t immediately clear who was responsible for the hacking incident, which followed a different cyberattack earlier Wednesday on Ukrainian government websites. The Ukrainian government did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
The so-called “wiper” malware discovered Wednesday is typically designed to delete data from computers and render them inoperable.
The hack hit at least one Ukrainian financial institution and one Ukrainian government contractor with a presence in Latvia, Vikram Thakur, technical director at Broadcom’s cybersecurity unit Symantec, told CNN.
The malicious code affected “large organizations” in Ukraine, according to cybersecurity firm ESET, which has multiple clients in the country. The hacking tool appears to have been created two months ago, but “was deployed only today and we have seen it only in Ukraine,” said Jean-Ian Boutin, head of threat research ESET.
US officials have warned that Russia will very likely use cyber operations in conjunction with military action in Ukraine. The White House blamed Russia’s military intelligence directorate, the GRU, for a separate set of cyberattacks on Ukrainian websites last week.
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