Russian security services involved in recent cyberattack, says Ukraine

Ukraine's state security service (SBU) said on Saturday that the Russian security services wereinvolved in a recent cyber attack that hit Ukraine, saying theaim was to destroy important data and spread panic.

The SBU also said the attack, which started in Ukraine andspread around the world on Tuesday, was by the same hackers whoattacked the Ukrainian power grid in December 2016. Ukrainianpoliticians were quick to blame Russia for Tuesday's attack, buta Kremlin spokesman dismissed "unfounded blanket accusations."

"The available data, including those obtained in cooperationwith international antivirus companies, give us reason to
believe that the same hacking groups are involved in theattacks, which in December 2016 attacked the financial system,
transport and energy facilities of Ukraine using TeleBots andBlackEnergy," the SBU said.

"This testifies to the involvement of the special servicesof Russian Federation in this attack."

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Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014 whenRussia annexed Crimea.

The SBU in an earlier statement on Friday said it had seizedequipment it said belonged to Russian agents in May and June tolaunch cyber attacks against Ukraine and other countries.

"The main purpose of the virus was the destruction ofimportant data, disrupting the work of public and privateinstitutions in Ukraine and spreading panic among the people,"the SBU said of the recent attack.

A cyber attack in December on a Ukrainian state energycomputer caused a power cut in the northern part of the capitalKyiv.

The Russian foreign ministry and Federal Security Servicedid not immediately respond to requests for comment on thelatest allegations.