See what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Russia launched a cyberattack early in its invasion of Ukraine, disconnecting thousands of modems across Europe from the internet, officials from the US, Britain, Canada, Estonia and the European Union announced on Tuesday.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellites have helped provide Ukrainians with internet access amid Russian invasion, warned that Kremlin forces are “increasing their efforts.” So far, “Starlink has withstood Russian cyberwar jamming and hacking attempts,” he added.
Russian hackers attacked Viasat’s KA-SAT network in late February as Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Western governments reported.
PUTIN ISSUES DECREE TO MEET ‘UNFRIENDLY’ NATIONS WITH EXPORT BLOCKERS TO BEAT THE WORLD ECONOMY
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with senior officials in support of the airline industry in Russia amid Western sanctions via video conference Thursday, March 31, 2022 at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP/AP Images)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia launched the cyberattack to “disrupt Ukrainian leadership and control during the invasion, and these actions would have repercussions on other European countries.”
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called the cyber attack “premeditated and malicious”. Russia has primarily targeted Ukraine’s military, but has also been disrupting wind farms and internet users in central Europe, Truss added, citing Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre.
The Council of the European Union said the digital hack caused “indiscriminate communications outages” in Ukraine and other EU member states.
“This unacceptable cyberattack is another example of Russia’s ongoing pattern of irresponsible behavior in cyberspace, which also formed an integral part of its illegal and unjustified invasion of Ukraine,” the council said in a statement.
EU ENERGY MINISTERS IN EMERGENCY TALKS AFTER RUSSIA TAKEN GAS SHUTDOWN
In this photo provided by the Press Office of the President of Ukraine, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers his speech to the nation in Kyiv, Ukraine on Friday, February 25, 2022. ((Press Office of the President of Ukraine via AP))
The cyber attack caused instant outages for satellite internet users across Europe and affected modems had to be replaced manually.
“After those modems went offline, it wasn’t like you unplug them and plug them back in and restart and they come back,” Rob Joyce, the US National Security Agency’s director of cybersecurity, told Reuters. “They were down and heavy; they had to go back to the factory to be replaced.”
The impact of the attack is not yet known, but KA-SAT has provided internet connectivity to the Ukrainian military and police, according to government contracts.
Ukrainian cybersecurity official Victor Zhora said in March that the hack caused a “huge loss of communications right at the start of the war.”
RUSSIA WANT TO USE NORD STREAM 2 DOMESTIC TO BOOST MARKETS AS EUROPE AVOID OIL
The Ukrainian flag flutters in the wind on the Atomium landmark during a fundraiser for Ukraine in Brussels on Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys / AP Newsroom)
Russia has routinely denied accusations that it conducts offensive cyber operations.
The cyberattack was the most prominent digital attack since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, although it wasn’t the only one. Not all cyber attacks have been disclosed to the public.
READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS
The alleged Russian cyberattacks against Starlink, which Musk in a tweet Tuesday would fall into that category.
Reuters contributed to this report.