Sat Mar 15, 2014 08:41:36
Hackers have attacked Russia's presidential website along with some other government sites in a cyber offensive that appears to be a West-hatched war against the Kremlin’s decision to back Crimea secession poll.
"A powerful cyber-attack is under way on the (Kremlin) site," a spokeswoman for the Russian president's press service said by telephone as security experts struggled to curtail disruption. All three sites were working later on Friday.
The central bank's site was also brought down by a cyber-attack and the Foreign Ministry suffered similar problems.
A group calling itself Anonymous Russia highlighted the Kremlin website's crash on Twitter, signaling it may have been behind the attack. The same group said it brought down the website in May 2012 in solidarity with protests against President Vladimir Putin on his return for a third term as president.
A Kremlin source told Itar-Tass news agency that there was no link with "the events in Ukraine," referring to the standoff with the West over Crimea, which votes on Sunday on unification with Russia.
Critics may see Friday's attacks as revenge for similar attacks on official websites in Ukraine since the national parliament ousted Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovich last month and the standoff with Russia worsened.
Soon after Yanukovich's removal in Ukraine, the new authorities said the country's telecommunications system had come under a cyber-attack.
NTJ/MB
string(1433) "[{"id":"1573109","sort":"3179620","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/07/alalam_635297832304006847_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Crimea region of Ukraine declares itself part of Russia"} ,{"id":"1573518","sort":"3179621","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/08/alalam_635298932331320534_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Referendum to join Russia unstopable: Crimea PM"} ,{"id":"1574305","sort":"3179622","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/10/alalam_635300775399264149_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Russia mulling retaliation against Western sanctions"} ,{"id":"1574419","sort":"3179623","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/11/alalam_635301203746761144_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"US sanctions against Russia an 'act of war': Ron Paul"} ,{"id":"1575228","sort":"3179624","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/13/alalam_635303072458268526_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Americans against US-Russia tension on Ukraine: Poll"} ,{"id":"1575345","sort":"3179625","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/13/alalam_635303324988189879_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Russia deploys 8,500 troops for major artillery drills"} ,{"id":"1575549","sort":"3179626","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/14/alalam_635303914229832420_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Russia sends 9 warplanes to Belarus to fend off NATO threats"} ,{"id":"1575692","sort":"3179627","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/03/14/alalam_635304293196048679_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"‘Russia faces sanction if Crimea referendum goes ahead’"} ]"