Ukraine struck by massive cyber attack, banks and government hit

A massive cyber attack has targeted much of Ukraine’s state infrastructure as IT systems in the country’s national bank and its largest airport shut down.

Many organisations in the rest of Europe have also reported issues in their IT systems as the attack spreads beyond Ukraine, including British advertising giant WPP.

Several Ukrainian government departments and its central bank, as well as Kiev airport and public transport network, were all affected by the attack.

The attack is thought to be a ransomware hack, which disrupts computer systems in return for a sum of money.

Just weeks ago another worldwide attack caused by the WannaCry hacking group caused widespread issues in the NHS IT systems.

Many organisations in the rest of Europe have also reported issues in their IT systems

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Rozenko Pavlo said several members of the government had been affected by the attack.

“We also have a network 'down',” Pavlo wrote. “This image is being displayed by all computers of the government.”

The country’s central bank confirmed its operations had been affected by the hack and warned its financial institutions to exercise caution.

“As a result of these cyberattacks, banks experience difficulty in servicing customers and performing banking operations,” the statement read.

WPP said it was taking measures to combat the technical issues it faced.