Russia has sent around 100,000 military personnel along the borders with Ukraine and is now threatening to launch a war, unlike anything Europe has ever seen in its past. Although there isn’t yet a cyberattack, they are on the verge of being planned.
The hackers this week broke into several government websites across Ukraine It was a simple but eye-catching act that attracted international attention. Additionally, they injected harmful cyber-attacks onto Ukrainian authorities, which was a technique that was first discovered in the hands of Microsoft researchers. It’s not known who was responsible, however, Russia is the primary suspect.
While Ukraine is still bearing some of the brunts of Russia’s attacks, cybersecurity experts, as well as the government, are worried that hackers’ attacks may extend across the globe and threaten Europe as well as Europe. The United States and beyond.
On the 18th of January in on January 18, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) advised critical infrastructure companies to take “urgent immediate steps” to safeguard themselves from cyber attacks and cyber threats and attacks, citing recent events against Ukraine as a reason to be on guard. to be aware of threats that could harm US assets. The agency also highlighted two cyberattacks that occurred in 2017: NotPetya in 2017 and WannaCry. Both of them quickly spiraled beyond control, regardless of the fact that they were their first goals, before exploding all over the world, impacting the entire globe in the thousands of dollars. The two have many similarities between two: NotPetya was an attack by a Russian cyberattack targeted at Ukraine during a period of intense tensions.
“Aggressive cybersecurity operations are instruments that could be employed prior to the moment missiles or bullets hit,” says John Hultquist Chief Intelligence Officer at cybersecurity company Mandiant. “Precisely to this end, it’s a weapon that can be employed against Russia as well as in particular, the United States and their allies in the event that the situation becomes direr. Particularly the event that Russia as well as the United States, as well as their allies, adopt more aggressive positions towards Russia.” .”
It’s becoming more likely. President Joe Biden said during a press conference on 19 January that the US could react in the event of a future Russian cyberattack on Ukraine with its own cyberspace capabilities and raise the risk of an escalated war.
“My hypothesis is that he’ll attack,” Biden said when asked if he believed Vladimir Putin would invade Ukraine. Vladimir Putin would invade Ukraine.
Unintentional results?
Other countries are not restricted to the deliberate retribution by Russian agents. In contrast to traditional war cyber war is not bound by borders, and it can easily escalate into chaos.
Ukraine has been victimized by adversity from Russian cyberattacks over the last decade and has also faced the wrath of the military and a threat of Moscow since 2014. The year 2015 as well as 2016 Russian hackers attacked Ukraine’s power grid and cut off all lights in Kyiv the capital city of Ukraine. Unprecedented actions in Kyivan that were never done elsewhere before or since.
In 2017 the NotPetya cyberattack was again launched by Moscow It was originally targeted at private Ukrainian firms before it spread and destroyed a number of systems across the globe.
The malware was disguised to appear as ransomware but it was actually a rogue and extremely dangerous bit of code. The malware that caused chaos across Ukraine in the last week which is called WhisperGate is also believed to be ransomware and is aiming to erase important data, rendering computers inoperable. Experts say that WhisperGate could be described as “reminiscent” of NotPetya due to the techniques that are used to destroy the data However, there are some distinct differences. One reason is that WhisperGate isn’t as technologically advanced and hasn’t been developed to grow in the same manner. Russia has denied involvement, and there is no evidence to suggest any connection to Moscow.
NotPetya affected ports for shipping and also left a number of large multinational corporations as well as government agencies in power. Anyone who transacted business or traded in Ukraine was affected since it was the Russians who deliberately poisoned the software used by those who pay taxes or operate within the country.
The White House said the attack has created more than $10 billion of damages across the globe and was deemed “the most destructive and costly cyberattack ever.”
Since 2017 there has been a constant debate about whether the victims across the globe were accidental collateral damage, or whether the attack targeted firms who do business with Russian competitors. It is clear that it can occur again.
It’s either accident or not, Hultquist anticipates that we are likely to witness cyberattacks carried out by GRU, the Russian GRU, the military’s intelligence service GRU that is responsible for many of the most dangerous hacks that have occurred in the past, and also outside of Ukraine. Its most famous hacking squad is known as Sandworm according to security professionals, is responsible for numerous notable attacks, including attacks on the Ukrainian power grid attack, attacks in 2017, NotPetya attacks, interference in relation to the US as well as French elections, and also an assault on the Olympics as well as the opening ceremony stunt, as an outcome of a Russian doping scandal, which led to Ukraine’s exclusion of the Olympics.
Hultquist is also searching for another group, known to experts by the name of Berserk Bear, which comes directly from the Russian spy agency FSB. In the year 2020, US officials warned of the danger this group could create for the government’s networks. The German government has been reported to have said that the group had committed “long-standing obligations” to corporations when they were targeting the power, water, and energy industries.
“These individuals have been operating behind this crucial infrastructure for quite a while more than a decade” states Hultquist. “Although we’ve caught criminals several times, it’s certain they’re in specific areas.”
A powerful toolbox
There’s some serious debate over the underlying motives of Russia and on what kind of attacks Moscow is planning to launch outside of Ukraine.
“I believe it’s pretty certain that Russians will not attack our infrastructure, our critical infrastructure” declared Dmitri Alperovitch, an expert for many years on Russian cyber-related activities, as well as co-founder of Silverado Policy Accelerator in Washington. “The most important thing they do not want to do is to increase the intensity of the conflicts that exist between Russia as well as those in the United States in the midst of trying to resolve an armed war with Ukraine. “
It is not clear what the mathematics behind the calculations of Moscow during this current situation is. American leaders are now anticipating that Russia is likely to attack Ukraine. But, Russia has repeatedly proven that in cyberspace they’ve got a vast and varied toolset. In some instances, they utilize it to conduct something that is simple but extremely effective, such as a disinformation strategy to disarm or weaken enemies. They’re adept at constructing and deploying a variety of more complex and aggressive cyber operations around the world.
in 2014 as Ukraine was thrown into another crisis and Russia was threatening Crimea, Russian hackers secretly recorded the phone conversation of a US diplomat, who became unhappy at European actions and said: “Fuck and the EU” to his coworker. The call was released via the internet in an attempt to cause chaos in the Western alliances, and as an indication of the intensification of intelligence operations carried out by Russia.
Leaks and disinformation have been a constant instrument for Moscow. The US and European election cycles are often shattered through disinformation, generated by cyber-technology, controlled by Russia. In the context of fragile relationships and a complex political landscape within Europe and in Europe and in the United States, Putin can create significant change by shaping public opinion and perceptions about the political landscape. conflicts in Europe are imminent.
“These cyber-related crimes are not violent and can be reversed. The most negative impacts are in the perception” says Hultquist. “They harm institutions. They put us in a position of being vulnerable, and they create a false impression that governments are weak. They seldom reach the degree that can trigger an actual military or physical response. I believe that they are obtainable. “