NATO vows cyber cooperation with Ukraine, condemns cyber attack on government websites

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the cyberattack on Ukraine's government website at a time when the ever-escalating tensions between the country and Russia are grabbing headlines. In a statement issued on January 14, he said that the alliance's cyber experts have been exchanging information with their Ukrainian counterparts on 'the current malicious cyber activities.' He further added that NATO allies in the country are also assisting the Ukrainian authorities.

The websites of Ukraine's cabinet including seven ministries, the treasury, the national emergency service, and state services, which store Ukrainians' electronic passports and vaccination certificates were temporarily unavailable Friday as a result of the cyberattack, Ukraine's foreign ministry stated on Friday.

NATO vows cyber cooperation with Ukraine

"In the coming days, NATO and Ukraine will sign an agreement on enhanced cyber cooperation, including Ukrainian access to NATO's malware information sharing platform," Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Ukrainians' personal data has been leaked into the public domain, according to a message on the hacked websites in Ukrainian, Russian, and Polish. In part, the warning stated, "Be afraid and expect the worst. This is for your past, present and future," AP reported. Officials from the European Union have also censured the cyberattack on Ukraine on Friday, and have promised to deploy EU resources to aid the country.

EU strongly condemned the attack

EU Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell declared the "strongest condemnation" of the attack while speaking to reporters on the margins of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brest, France. He further stated that an emergency meeting of the EU political committee would be scheduled to determine how to respond. He vowed to use all of our resources to help Ukraine improve its cyberattack resistance. When asked if he knew who was responsible for the attack, Borrell indicated they were still looking into it, noting that tracing cyberattacks may be tough, however, he added, "I don't have any proof, but one can guess ..."

Russia has a lengthy history of such strikes, according to Ukraine's foreign minister. The event also comes after weeks of ostensibly failed diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions on the Russian-Ukraine border, where Moscow has gathered an estimated 100,000 troops and equipment, increasing concerns of an invasion. Russia claims the forces are there for its own security, but demands guarantees from NATO that it would halt its eastward expansion, starting with refusing to allow Ukraine to join the alliance, which Moscow sees as a threat. NATO has repeatedly turned down that request, claiming that Russia does not have a veto over NATO membership.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP/Unsplash