Ukrainian Information Protection Agency Confirms Cyberattack On Procurement System's Forum

The Ukrainian State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection confirmed on Monday a cyberattack on the procurement system forum Prozorro Infobox, similar to those carried out last week

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2022) The Ukrainian State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection confirmed on Monday a cyberattack on the procurement system forum Prozorro Infobox, similar to those carried out last week.

On Friday, a number of Ukrainian government websites were hacked and began displaying messages saying that the personal data of Ukrainian nationals had been leaked on the internet. The Ukrainian information agency did not confirm the leak, but the interior ministry said it was the largest cyberattack on the government in the past four years.

"Today at 08:00 (06:00 GMT), the same message as was used during cyberattacks on government websites on January 14 appeared on the Prozorro Infobox forum's page. The page has been blocked, and specialists are investigating and working on the prompt revival of the forum," the message read.

The agency said that the Prozorro Infobox forum and public procurement system Prozorro are separate services. The procurement system is undamaged and continues performing in routine mode.

The Ukrainian Security Service and police have already begun an investigation and blamed the cyberattacks on Russia. On Sunday, Deputy Secretary of Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, Serhiy Demedyuk, alleged that the attack had been carried out by hackers with ties to the Belarusian government.

On Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with CNN that Russia had nothing to do with these attacks, criticizing the Ukrainian government for "blaming everything on Russia, even their bad weather."