Ukraine says its military is being targeted by Belarusian hackers

Ukrainian servicemen ride on tanks towards the front line with Russian forces in the Lugansk region of Ukraine. Credit: AFP Photo

Ukrainian cybersecurity officials say hackers from neighboring Belarus are targeting the private email addresses of Ukrainian military personnel "and related individuals".

In an announcement posted to Facebook, Ukraine's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) said the hackers were using password-stealing emails to break into Ukrainian soldiers' email accounts and using the compromised address books to send further malicious messages.

The CERT said blamed a group codenamed "UNC1151" for the hacking, identifying its members as Minsk-based officers of Belarusian military.

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Belarus' Embassy in London did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Ukraine has been buffeted by digital intrusions and denial of service actions both in the run-up to and during the Russian invasion which began earlier this week. Belarus has offered its territory as a launch pad for Russian forces, allowing Moscow's forces to rapidly push toward Kyiv.

Western cybersecurity researchers have increasingly seen signs that Belarus and Russia could be coordinating their malicious activities in cyberspace.

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