White House: Russia launched most destructive cyber-attack in history

The White House called out the Russian government on Thursday claiming that they were responsible for a very destructive cyber-attack last year.

“In June 2017, the Russian military launched the most destructive and costly cyber-attack in history,” the White House said in a statement. “The attack, dubbed NotPetya, quickly spread worldwide, causing billions of dollars in damage across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.”

The attack was part of the Kremlin’s ongoing effort to destabilize Ukraine. The Trump administration believes that the NotPetya attack demonstrates Russias involvement in the ongoing conflict.

In response to the attack, the White House says that Russia will face “international consequences” but provided no additional guidance on what those might be.

The announcement comes just hours after the U.K. also blamed Russia for the attack.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said Russia was “ripping up the rule book” and the UK was duty-bound to respond.

Russia denied responsibility for the NotPetya attack calling it part of a “Russophobic” western effort. NotPetya is estimated to have cost companies more than $1.2bn.

“We categorically dismiss such accusations; we consider them unsubstantiated and groundless. It’s not more than a continuation of the Russophobic campaign which is not based on any evidence,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.