Ukraine's Government Suffers a Heavy Data-Wiping Cyber Attack Amid Russian Military Havoc

Cybersecurity researchers have spotted a brand-new data wiping software deployed in what appears to be a highly coordinated attack against Ukraine-based computer devices. Although the cyberattack roughly started parallel to the Russian-led military operation in the country, it has reportedly been a work in progress for the last few months.

While the malware took down Ukraine’s government websites and banking institutions through a series of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, it is believed to have already spread to Latvia and Lithuania, at least. Moreover, researchers do not rule out a possible expansion to even more countries down the line. That is why they are now racing against time trying to reverse engineer the malware to learn more about its modus operandi.

The new cyberattack has barely caught anyone in Ukraine by surprise. Over the last few weeks, the East European country has become subject to regular hacks whose number keeps growing by the hour. Researchers who have joined forces to track down the party in charge have made a striking discovery.

As it is, the data wiper comes with a digital certificate designed to evade AV detection. The certificate reportedly belongs to Hermetica Digital Ltd., a Cyprus-based low-profile company no one knows anything about. Hermetica is not to be found anywhere on the Web. Nor does it seem to have left any contact details, either.

In light of the ongoing events in Ukraine, security researchers fear that such cyber-attacks may intensify to unimaginable levels in the weeks to come, posing fundamental challenges to victims and saviors alike.