General view of the port from a park on Feb. 18 in Mariupol, Ukraine. Photo: Pierre Crom/Getty Images
The U.S. believes Russia is responsible for recent cyberattacks in Ukraine, deputy national security adviser for cybersecurity Anne Neuberger said at the White House press briefing on Friday.
Why it matters: The U.S. has warned that Russian cyberattacks could precede or be coordinated in tandem with a military invasion. The targeting of Ukraine's Defense Ministry and several banks marked the largest denial-of-service attack in the country's history, per Axios' Zachary Basu.
What she's saying: "We have technical information that links the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate or GRU ... [it] was seen transmitting high volumes of communication to Ukraine-based IP addresses and domains," Neuberger said.
- "This recent spate of cyberattacks in Ukraine are consistent with what a Russian effort could look like, and laying the groundwork for more disruptive cyberattacks accompanying a potential further invasion of Ukraine sovereign territory. We've been preparing for this possibility."