All the countries part of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance — the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand— have made formal statements accusing the Russian Federation of orchestrating the NotPetya ransomware outbreak.
The UK was first to pin the attacks on Russia, earlier this week, when Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad said in a press release that an intelligence agency part of Russia's military had created and deployed the NotPetya ransomware in Ukraine, from where it accidentally spread worldwide.
The UK's statement caused a stir, but the country didn't stand alone for long, as the next day, February 15, the White House came out with a similar announcement.
All Five Eyes members follow suit
A day after that, on February 16, Canada's Communications Security Establishment, Australia's Minister for Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity, and New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau followed suit with similar press releases.
None pointed the finger at a specific Russian military unit but went on record to blame the Russia state for the incident as part of its silent war against Ukraine. A Washington Post article citing CIA sources published in mid-January pegged the Russian Military's Main Intelligence Directorate (abbreviated GRU) as the one department that created NotPetya.
Russia previously denied being behind the attack and did so again this week through its ambassadors in each of the Five Eyes countries.
Ukraine was first to blame Russia in July 2017
Ukraine's Secret Service (SBY) accused Russia of orchestrating the NotPetya ransomware outbreak right after the incident, in July 2017.
Besides Ukraine and the Five Eyes members, other countries have not gone on record with formal accusations.
The NotPetya ransomware outbreak took place on June 27, 2017, and targeted mainly Ukrainian companies through a tainted update of a local accounting software. Unfortunately, NotPetya infections spread to other businesses across the world due to shared and interconnected networks. The ransomware is believed to have caused billions of dollars in damages, mainly due to lost activity and delayed goods shipments.
NotPetya was followed by the Bad Rabbit ransomware outbreak on October 24, though less damaging, believed to be a modified version of NotPetya, and which many also suspect Russia may have had a hand in.
But NotPetya is not the first ransomware that's been attributed to a country's government. The US and the UK had previously accused North Korea of being behind the WannaCry ransomware outbreak.
Image credits: DIC Entertainment
Comments
Amigo-A - 6 years ago
These statements are faery absurdity. The work of NotPetya resembles the removal of glands through the anus.
If such an attack were in reality, it would have firstly affected the military and power structures of these countries, whose officials are now squealing like а small piggys, taking mud baths.
If such an attack were in reality, it would not affect Russian structures and profitable oil business.
In Russia were affected from NotPetya:
- Russian oil companies Rosneft and Bashneft,
- many auto-stations and gas stations,
- all offices of Home Credit Bank,
- other banks decided to keep silent of attack, but were affected,
- metallurgical and mining company Evraz,
- sites of tour operators Anex Tour and Mouzenidis Travel, were affected many other, but to silent of attack,
- telecommunications companies MegaFon, VimpelCom (Beeline), and other small in regions of Russia,
- to a lesser extent the personal computers of workers of some units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Investigative Committee were affected. But they could keep silent about the attack, getting reprimanded from their superiors.
This is only a small list of victims, which I was able to collect at the time of writing the article and subsequent corrections.
Amigo-A - 6 years ago
The accusations against GRU is not specific. So talks the old womans in park at the stool while discussing the random passers-by, inventing for them sins that they did not commit.
Official say for sure, calling a special department in the GRU, a special unit, a special group, for example APT555X-bis. It would be like the truth. But now so it's unfounded accusations, or rather, BREKHNYA (most low level of lies).
_LC_ - 6 years ago
I guess it is bedtime for Bonzo again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zHN4vCfwh4
NickAu - 6 years ago
So it wasn't Nth Korea?
dasParanoia - 6 years ago
aye comrade amigo or comrade stalin?