Ukraine

The US, UK and EU formally accused Russia of being responsible for the cyberattack that affected thousands of satellite terminals in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. “The cyberattack took place one hour before Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 thus facilitating the military aggression,” the EU said. US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, added that Washington was working with its allies and partners to defend against Russia’s "irresponsible actions". Attributing the attack on Viasat's network to Russia barely counts as news because it was already assumed Moscow was behind it, but the coordinated statements underline the degree to which the US and its allies are determined to present a united front.

Reuters reports that the US is beginning a fresh investigation into Kaspersky Lab amid heightened fears of Russian cyberattacks. The concern is that Moscow could use Kaspersky's security software to steal sensitive information from US computers or tamper with them as tensions escalate between Moscow and the West. In March, Germany warned that the Kremlin might coerce the company into helping to attack western organisations. Kaspersky has condemned the moves, saying it's a privately-managed company with no ties to the Russian government.

On a more positive note, the US National Security Agency says the level of ransomware attacks has fallen over the past few months. Cybersecurity Director, Rob Joyce, said, “There’s probably a lot of different reasons why that is, but I think one impact is the fallout of Russia/Ukraine. As we do sanctions and it's harder to move money and it’s harder to buy infrastructure in the West, we’re seeing them less effective.”