January 17, 2022

Microsoft said in a blog post on Saturday that it had discovered destructive malware in systems linked to Ukrainian government agencies and organizations.

Victims of the malware include Ukrainian government agencies possessing critical executive branch or emergency response functions, Microsoft said.

In addition, an unnamed IT company that manages websites for public and private sector customers has also been severely affected by the malware.

The malware disguised as ransomware makes the affected computer system inoperable when activated by the attacker, Microsoft said.

The tech giant first discovered the malware on Thursday. In addition, Microsoft said that the malware attacks did not exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft’s products and services.

According to a senior Ukrainian government official, Ukraine suspected that a hacking group connected to Belarus intelligence had initiated the cyberattack using malware similar to that used by Russian intelligence.

For more information, read the original story in Reuters.