Researchers at Microsoft said Thursday that an attack on transportation and logistics companies in Ukraine and Poland last month was the work of a notorious Russian military intelligence unit.
The Oct. 11 attack — dubbed “Prestige” — attempted to cripple access to computers across the organizations it targeted. When successful, the attack effectively made it impossible for companies to access their computer systems.
By targeting logistics and transportation companies, the Russian military intelligence hackers responsible for the attack may have been attempting to stymie the flow of goods and materiel into Ukraine, where Russian forces have in recent months suffered a series of military setbacks.
The flow of goods into Ukraine from partner countries have been a keyway for Ukraine to get the supplies it needs and attacking computer infrastructure in Poland — a NATO ally — represents one of the few ways Russia can retaliate against Ukraine’s logistics partners.
