Russia Uses Cyberattacks on Ukraine to Hamper Its Defence Capabilities
Ukraine isn’t just facing the threat of Russian troops on the ground.
The worst has happened. A war between Ukraine and Russia has been initiated. In addition to the air attack launched by Russia on Ukraine, the Putin-led government has also initiated a series of cyberattacks in Ukraine. As a result, many banks and government department websites crashed this Wednesday.
A similar attack of this nature was initiated a few days back also, and at that time, nearly 70 Ukrainian government websites crashed. At that time also USA and Ukraine blamed Russia.
Russia-Ukraine war
More on the Way
As a full-scale invasion is pretty evident at this time, Ukraine should brace for more cyberattacks. In a worst-case scenario, cyberattacks can cripple the country’s entire infrastructure and affect electricity, water, and telecommunication services.
Why Are Cyberattacks Gaining Popularity?
Cyberattacks have been a key component of the traditional categories of espionage, sabotage, and subversion. However, they are gaining more popularity today as they are faster than standard weapon attacks, can be conducted remotely, and are relatively cheaper and simpler. In contrast, defending against these cyberattacks is very costly and challenging.
The attacks are usually orchestrated by The Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). The attacks usually involve customized malware (malicious software) that targets the hardware and software underpinning the systems and infrastructure of the targeted nation.
DDoS Attack
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, has confirmed that many Ukrainian government and banking websites went offline due to cyberattacks. For those unaware, DDoS attacks make use of bots to flood an online service and overwhelm it until it comes crashing down. As a result, legitimate users cannot access the website.
It is also being reported that hundreds of computers in Ukraine have destructive “data-wiping” software that was probably sent from Russia.
A few days back, on February 15, the cyber police of Ukraine stated that Ukrainians were getting fake text messages claiming ATMs had gone offline. Many of those tried to withdraw money, which led to unwanted caused panic and uncertainty.
Continuous Attacks on Ukraine
It isn’t the first time Russia has (apparently) conducted cyberattacks on Ukraine. A destructive malware was used in 2015 and 2016 as well. Even in 2020, US officials charged six Russian GRU officers for deploying the NotPetya ransomware that affected computer networks worldwide. The destructive malware was also used against Ukrainian government ministries, banks, energy companies, and many others.
A cyberattack sponsored by Russia also began in January 2021 that targeted the Microsoft Exchange servers. The hackers got access to email accounts and associated networks worldwide, including Ukraine, the US, and Australia.
The Help
Six European Union nations, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Lithuania, Estonia, and Croatia, are sending cyber security experts to help Ukraine protect itself from cyberattacks by Russia.
Australia has also committed to offering cybersecurity assistance to the government of Ukraine via a bilateral Cyber Policy Dialogue. It means the countries will conduct exchanges of cyber threat perceptions, policies, and strategies. Australia will also provide cyber security training to Ukrainian officials.
International Implications
The international implications of the Ukraine-Russia situation have also been noted. Only last week, the National Cyber Security Centre of New Zealand released a General Security Advisory that encourages organisations to prepare for cyberattacks as it might be a flow-on effect of the crisis.
The General Security Advisory offers a list of resources for protection. Also, it strongly recommends that organisations must assess their security preparedness against potential threats.
Even the Australian Cyber Security Centre has issued similar warnings soon after that.
Russia Might Evade Responsibility
It is also likely that Russia will evade responsibility for the cyberattacks because attribution is extraordinarily complex, costly, and time-consuming in cyberspace.
Russia and China have a history of denying cyberattacks in the past. Even this time, the Russian embassy in Canberra has denied involvement in the cyberattacks against Ukraine. They might also get away with this time as cyber-attacks can be launched from an unwitting host. For instance, the compromised device of a victim can be used to continue the chain of attacks, and it makes tracing it back to the original source overly complex.
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