OVERVIEW OF 2024 ● Despite these restrictions, Telegram remains one of the primary communication and news platforms in Ukraine. Even after the restrictions, exceptions were made for officials whose roles require ongoing public interaction. A GRIM DECEMBER As in 2023, the most impactful cyberattack on Ukrainian citizens occurred in December. This time, nearly 60 national databases and registries were targeted, disrupting essential digital services, including issuing birth or death certificates, registering marriages, handling real estate transactions, inheritance processes and various other notarial services. Several services in the state-run Diia app were also affected, as they could not connect to the necessary databases. At the time of writing, details about the attack remain scarce, but Ukrainian authorities suspect the involvement of Russian military intelligence. While services had to revert to paper-based processes, some were recovered by the start of the new year, and further disruptions in other services are expected to be temporary. This attack underscores that the aggressor CYBER SECURITY IN ESTONIA 2025 What is APT44? - APT44 (also known as Sandworm) is a technically sophisticated hacker group linked to Russian military intelligence. - It is one of the main state-sponsored cyber threats in Ukraine, though it operates elsewhere as well. - The group is active in disrupting critical infrastructure, conducting cyber intelligence and executing influence operations. - In 2015 and 2016, it attacked Ukraine’s power grid, causing outages affecting hundreds of thousands of people. - In 2017, APT44 deployed the NotPetya malware against Ukrainian networks. The malware quickly spread worldwide, causing an estimated $10–11 billion in damages. - In spring 2024, the group targeted Ukraine’s energy and water infrastructure, but Ukrainian efforts successfully thwarted the attack. waging a full-scale war of conquest continues to target and attempt to disrupt Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure. ● 15