Ukrainian blackout caused by hackers that attacked media company, researchers say

Power company suffered a major attack that led to blackouts across western Ukraine, after an attack on a Ukrainian media company

A power blackout in Ukraine over Christmas and a destructive cyberattack on a major Ukrainian media company were caused by the same malware from the same major hacking group, known as Sandworm, according to security researchers at Symantec.

The blackout, which affected large parts of western Ukraine, is believed to be the first example of a power outage deliberately caused by a hacking attack. The country's state intelligence agency, the SBU, attributed the attacks to state-sponsored hackers from Russia. If true, that would link the hacking of the power grid to the general escalation of cyberwarfare between the two nations in the aftermath of the invasion of Crimea.