No lights, no heat, no money - that's life in Ukraine during cyber warfare

A general view shows the headquarters of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev, Ukraine March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

Jan 14 (Reuters) - Hackers who defaced and interrupted access to numerous Ukrainian government websites on Friday could be setting the stage for more serious cyberattacks that would disrupt the lives of ordinary Ukrainians, experts said.

"As tensions grow, we can expect more aggressive cyber activity in Ukraine and potentially elsewhere," said John Hultquist, an intelligence analyst at U.S. cybersecurity company Mandiant, possibly including "destructive attacks that target critical infrastructure."

Intrusions by hackers on hospitals, power utility companies, and the financial system were until recently rare. But organized cybercriminals, many of them living in Russia, have gone after institutions aggressively in the past two years with ransomware, freezing data and computerized equipment needed to care for hospital patients.

In some cases, those extortion attacks have led to patient deaths, according to litigation, media reports and medical professionals.

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