US, UK and EU blame the Russian government forhacker attack on ViaSat. Not surprisingly, the cyberattack caused communication problems in Central and Eastern Europe just hours before Russia invaded Ukraine. Once again, therefore, Putin’s government finds itself cornered by European countries, and beyond.
ViaSat hacker attack: Russia is responsible
“The European Union and its member states, together with its international partners, strongly condemn the harmful cyber activity conducted by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which has targeted the KA-SAT satellite network, managed by Viasat”. So said the EU in a joint statement. Apparently, in fact, the main target of the hacker attack on ViaSat was the Ukrainian army, which usually relies heavily on satellite communications. Yet, the cyberattack also had bad repercussions on the connection of thousands of users across Europe – including Ukraine -. And indeed, it disconnected remote access to some 5,800 wind turbines across Germany, just as they connected to Viasat routers for remote monitoring and control.
The damage from the hacker attack, therefore, was truly remarkable. ViaSat itself, in fact, stated that the cyberattack has damaged tens of thousands of terminals which cannot be repaired. And he also claimed to have sent his clients him other 30000 router in an attempt to get them back online. “This unacceptable cyber attack is another example of Russia’s continuing pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace, which also formed an integral part of its illegal and unwarranted invasion of Ukraine.”
The accusation against Russia comes weeks after SentinelOne experts said the incident was related to the malware russo “AcidRain”, designed to remotely wipe vulnerable modems. In short, the question seems to be clear: the hacker attack on ViaSat is the responsibility of the Russian government. And the reason is already clear enough.