The Russia Ukraine cyber warfare is one of the intense topics today. Let’s see what we know so far.
As we went through research papers, news, documentaries, and official documents, the plot for Russia Ukraine cyber warfare seemed like a gradual build-up. Even though the blueprint unfolded shockingly, there is no saying the results are devastating.
With the full-scale Russia Ukraine conflict, all matters gradually spawned cyber-attacks and defense. In the tech era, tanks might be powerful; cyber warfare is turning out to be the most devastating one. Currently, literally, every mechanic of modern society is linked to some sort of tech.
Electricity, gas, internet, vehicles, computers, healthcare, and finance are critical infrastructures. They are linked to the internet, people, companies, services, government, private organizations, etc. Even though tech has made our lives easier, the flip side remains dangerous.
More than 100,000 Russian soldiers crossed Ukraine’s border and threatened to do something that the world hasn’t seen in decades. Even though we are just witnessing bombings on the outside, there is not enough gunning to call it an actual bloodbath yet. That is surface-level damage.
The cyber-world is ramping up in the dark, where most of us do not pay any attention. It is a place crawling with attackers and defenders. This world may sound like something out of a horror movie for a typical internet user.
Hackers defaced dozens of government websites both in Ukraine and Russia. The hacks we mainly witness are attention-grabbing. But the ones happening outside this parameter are the destructive malware, spyware, and other deadly hacking agents.
This article will go through the devastation of Russia Ukraine cyber warfare, hacking agents briefing, the latest update, and how it relates to our cyber security.
The current state of Russia Ukraine Cyber Warfare?
A recent social media post by popular hacker group Anonymous revealed they recently hacked the Central Bank of Russia and leaked 28GB of data. Data includes 35,000 files with secret agreements. These leaks are now publicly available, and the hacker group confirmed they would keep the links updated.
The same group leaked Nestle database with around 10GB of data. These data include company e-mails, passwords, clients, the federal agency with over 360,000 documents, the Russian defense website, and plenty more.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian side is tasked with a crackdown by Russian hackers. Russian hackers have long been under the shade of government due to their protective nature.
The US and the UK signed a recent pledge to work mutually to defend against these threats. But that was before the war started. We spectated solo hacks such as the Colonial Pipeline, banking system, critical system, and other low-profile ones.
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned that the attacks targeted critical infrastructures. These attacks might soon go out of hand and spread to the EU and the US. Dozens of Ukrainian websites are being hacked, which seemed like an attempt to grab media attention to remind Russian hacker’s capabilities.
Involved Hacking Agents in the Russia Ukraine Cyber Warfare
Various sets of hacking agents, tools, malware, spyware are detected throughout the conflict zones. Let’s go through them briefly.
Wiper
Among new strains of computer-disabling malware, Wiper is the most dangerous one. Its work ethic is similar to the name. Banks and government agencies are the targets. Wiper causes distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)j. This attack bombs spurious information requests to services, making them unusable and prone to crashes.
Yegor Asuhev, a co-founder of one of many cybersecurity companies in Kyiv, reported about the technologies.
ESET Research Labs, known mainly for its anti-virus software, said they detected a new piece of data-wiping malware. The report said thousands of Ukrainian systems are Wiper’s target on Wednesday.
Security research organization Symantec also reported the malware found on Ukrainian government contractors’ systems.
Senior analyst at RAND, a European research institute, Alexi Drew also reported a similar issue. She talked about the “history of cyberattacks not staying where they’re meant to go.” His research includes HermeticWiper, a self-propagating malware.
On the other hand, NotPetya, discovered in 2017, caused Ukrainian businesses some trouble. The Wiper attack encrypted computers and generated approximately $10 billion worth of damage.
According to the Chief executive of Lloyds Bank, Charlie Nunn, the attacks were planned far ahead. Hence it’s causing so much trouble.
On the other hand, Microsoft is scanning the explicit cyber framework with the help of its Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC). Microsoft Windows is the most popular computing system, used in billions of computers worldwide. Their data is much more accurate than anyone else regarding detected malware and automatic reports sent for further inspection.
Being the most popular operating has its downfall too. It is used by many people, making it an easy target. MSTIC said “destructive cyberattacks directed against Ukraine’s digital infrastructure” took ahead in the missile launches.
Malware
Microsoft dubbed them as FoxBlade, a known malicious malware. It can stay inside a computer network and wipe any data. It can penetrate other computers and connected devices in the same network and wipe data on a mass scale.
Matthias Schulze, a cybersecurity expert from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), said they collected data on 150 cyber incidents. It includes information and propagandas, and the effect is quite harsh on the tech system. Schulze said that it is the kind of thing “people fear most in a cyberwar.”
Three main types of cyber-attacks detected in the Russia Ukraine conflict are wipers, DDoS, and defacements. They eventually execute the same goal, but the method is different. Their goal is to stop people from accessing information and stop critical service flow.
Information on the network is weak against wipers. People can’t access their data which has long-term effects. Thorsten Holz, another cybersecurity expert, talked about wipers and said Russia had been preparing for some cyberattacks for months.
Ransomware
Ransomware attacks are a well-known criminal element, which may or may not be associated with the Russian government. Many hacker groups are potential launches of these ransomware attacks, and exact sources remain unknown. IP masking, redirecting, and various stealth mechanism are contained in ransom attacks. They are making it hard for proper tracking.
Defacement
Defacement attacks delete and replace critical information from networks. Services users are sometimes misleading due to the appearance of misinformation and containing links to further attacks. Fake news spreads fast, and a similar tactic used for years is obfuscation. It takes place when war actors flood civilians with misinformation.
Top publishers such as Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, Bloomberg, Reuters, BBC, and plenty others are constantly trying to communicate with cyber experts to update people about the ongoings.
Consequences of Russia Ukraine Cyber Warfare
Misinformation has the power to kill people. It might be hard for tanks and guns to enter other countries’ borders; in the era of tech, cyberattacks can break this rule very quickly.
According to Schulze, “the biggest impact we’ve seen is physiological.” If we leave out reports on the political side of things, there is a chance the Russia Ukraine cyber warfare is getting out of hand.
Investigations ran by many countries that are global tech leaders and have a vast infrastructure to protect. Many US tech firms stopped providing services in Russia, and as a consequence, they also became targets.
Also, not all news sources are neutral. So, we have to take them with a grain of salt. Before the Russia Ukraine conflict began, we barely thought cyber warfare would occur. Our thinking was those tanks would go back and just show a warning. But things got pretty serious, and right before our eyes, the conflict heated up.
Rusia has cut off many sites in Ukraine, including the coastal city of Mariupol, from other critical ones. The efforts to take control of major towns and cut them one by one is not just a battle of tanks but also tech. Cyberwarfare is a fantastic tool for grey-zone conflict; thus, we see much of it.
Conclusion
Everything happened so fast, and the Russia Ukraine cyber warfare is getting out of hand. Even if the visual attacks are not crossing borders, the cyberattacks are. Involving other countries in the conflict zone.
The newly built infrastructure pushed by pandemics can also be a blaming reason for this kind of advancement at an early stage. To keep yourself secure against hacking or phishing attempts, implement biometrics web and mobile security along with MFA or 2FA.
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