Cyberattack hits Lithuania after sanctions feud with Russia

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Lithuania’s Defense Ministry says a cyberattack temporarily knocked out public and private websites in the country with a pro-Moscow hacker group reportedly claiming responsibility. The ministry said Monday that a DDOS attack had targeted a secure national data network. The Websites were back online later the same day. The attack came a week after Russian officials threatened to retaliate because Lithuania restricted the transit of steel and ferrous metals under EU sanctions. The ban on goods under European Union sanctions was announced by Lithuanian authorities earlier this month and prompted a flurry of angry retorts from Moscow, with the Kremlin denouncing the move as unprecedented and unlawful.