Analysts from US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia was behind the cyber attack on satellite internet service Viasat. US officials told The Washington Post.
The cyber attack on Viasat’s network coincided with the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. US intelligence analysts have according to The Washington Post concluded that Russian state hackers carried out this outburst. The attack was allegedly carried out by the military espionage service GRU, anonymous US officials who are familiar with the case told the newspaper. Reuters previously reported that Western intelligence agencies were investigating the origin of the attack.
The US government has not yet made any public statements about its conclusions, writes The Washington Post. A spokesman for the US National Security Council said “it is not yet able to share any attributions.” “As we have already said, we are concerned about the apparent use of cyber operations to disrupt communication systems in Ukraine and across Europe, and affect the access of companies and individuals to the internet,” the spokesperson added.
The attack began on February 24, the day Russia invaded Ukraine, and targeted the ground infrastructure of Viasat’s KA-SAT network. The cyber attack disrupted communications of the Ukrainian military and government organizations, but also affected the rest of Europe. “Tens of thousands” of customers were unable to access Viasat’s internet satellite network after the attack, the company reported. A few weeks after the attack, certain modems were still offline, Reuters previously reported.