UPDATED: Naftogaz, other critical infrastructure companies hit by cyberattacks

Editor's note: This item was updated after other companies reported technical difficulties on Jan. 25.

Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned gas and oil company, was hit by a large-scale cyberattack, the company said on Jan. 25 on its Telegram channel.

"We have recorded a large-scale cyberattack on one of the data centers used by our companies. The website and the call center are currently down," the announcement read.

Cyberattacks are a common tool used by both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. In one of the most devastating strikes, Russian hackers targeted Ukraine's leading telecommunications provider, Kyivstar, causing communication outages nationwide last December.

"We will inform you later about the restoration of our services," Naftogaz said.

As of 12:50 p.m. local time, the company's Ukrainian-language website remained unavailable.

Another cyberattack was reported against a data center of Gas Networks, a gas distribution service from the Naftogaz Group.

Ukraine's state railway, Ukrzaliznytsia, also said that some of its services were attacked by hackers, preventing some customers from buying tickets online, the company said.

Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian postal service, also reported failure in IT systems, saying that the company's specialists are working on fixing the issue.

Another technical malfunction was reported by Ukrtransbezpeka, a government agency providing transport and traffic security. The difficulties affected the agency's website and the Shlyah system, which allows drivers to leave Ukraine to transport humanitarian or other crucial supplies.

Russian institutions have also been recently targeted by hackers. Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Jan. 24 that the Russian Far Eastern Research Center of Space Hydrometeorology "Planeta" was hit by a massive cyberattack, resulting in "devastating consequences," including lost data and equipment.

Kyivstar cyberattack cost telecommunications operator nearly $100 million

VEON, the Dutch telecommunications operator and parent company of the Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar, revealed a $95 million loss due to the major cyberattack conducted by a Russian hacker group in December, the company announced in a statement on Jan. 18.

The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat