On the Crisis of Ukraine-Russia, there Was Thousand of The Cyberattack on Europian Countries

A new report released Wednesday by the cybersecurity firm Symantec said that there were indications of what was believed to be an initial cyber attack on February 17 targeting multiple European and North American countries. The news outlet reported that thousands of people around the world had been knocked offline as of early Thursday morning as the number of affected subscribers declined.

The company’s statement said that its clients had suffered “severe disruption to their services, with some being unable to access the critical services they depend upon, like food and water, electricity supplies, banking [and] medical care.”

Symantec further added that users in Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Austria and Germany were among those most impacted. It also stated that the company had seen a sharp decline in new signups, with orders falling by 75% from mid-January.

The network intrusion came hours after Russia and the United States announced accusations against each other over claims of widespread election interference and voter fraud. President Vladimir Putin accused the Trump administration of trying to destabilize U.S.-Russian relations. His comments came days before the Kremlin promised to investigate whether voting systems used in the country’s 2016 presidential elections were tainted.

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Earlier, Russian Foreign Intelligence Agency (RIA) director Sergei Naryshkin told reporters that Russians were under “increased pressure,” and warned against any attempts by politicians to use social networks and telecommunication equipment to manipulate public opinion.

According to reports last week, more than 16,000 people have reportedly called for Trump’s impeachment during his term.

The situation comes amid fears of rising tensions between Moscow and Washington as the two major powers seek to get things going with their economies recovering from the COVID pandemic. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to pull out of NATO unless changes are made.

The breach occurred just days after Twitter suspended Trump indefinitely over misleading his followers over the ongoing election process. On Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) addressed the latest incident saying that the president would not accept a peaceful transfer of power. McConnell noted that he has instructed investigators who will lead the probe into the Russian interference. “This is one of the darkest periods in our nation’s history and we must rise above this grim period together, uniting together and supporting each other,” McConnell said at a press conference.

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Symantec’s website also posted a link which appears to show evidence of potential breaches earlier this year. The post said that the recent disclosures come “in response to concerns around additional attacks on government information systems, including Russian hacking and phishing campaigns, by state actors.”

The cybercrime prevention agency issued a warning on September 30 regarding possible espionage threats of 2020 to the US. The post added that these hacks could include government agencies, corporations or business owners. “In total, government agencies and private entities have responded to approximately 22,000 incidents containing malicious code containing viruses, Trojans or ransomware,” a notice read. “Affected victims may experience issues with computer function, system operations, or both.”

The State Department, which oversees intelligence agencies, issued another alert about cyberattacks during the November 11 Presidential Election. This time, hackers had targeted three states but did not say who was responsible. The department cautioned government agencies on how to respond.