Russia allegedly conducted several cyberattacks using powerful malware targeting Ukraine that has put a stop to the latter's defensive capabilities amid Moscow's continued aggression and deployment of military troops in the region.
It was reported that several websites of Ukraine's defense, foreign, and interior ministries were either unreachable or unbelievably slow on Thursday morning. The situation was a result of a wave of distributed-denial-of-service attacks conducted by Moscow accompanied by explosions in the capital Kyiv and other major cities.
Russian Cyberattacks
On top of Wednesday's DDoS cyberattacks, several cybersecurity researchers said that unidentified hackers had infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware, including those in Latvia and Lithuania. Senior Ukrainian cyber defense official Victor Zhora refused to comment when asked if the denial-of-service attacks would continue through Thursday.
Instead, the official focused his attention on what was happening on the ground, noting that there were ballistic missiles targeting Ukrainian territory. Zhora said that the world needed to stop what was happening and criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressive actions, as per the Seattle Times.
Both the United Kingdom and the United States have attributed the recent cyberattacks to a Russia-backed hacking group. The cyber report was published by the National Cyber Security Centre in the UK and several American agencies, including the National Security Agency.
The report warned that a Russian state-backed hacker group named "Sandworm" was able to develop a new type of malware called Cyclops Blink. The program is believed to be able to target firewall devices made by the manufacturer Watchguard that aim to protect computers against cyber threats.
According to The Guardian, the report has noted that the virus is capable of withstanding typic countermeasures such as reboots. The findings come as both the UK and U.S., who are allies of Ukraine, were placed on high alert for any Russian-backed cyber hacks.
The situation also comes after more than a week ago where 70 Ukrainian government websites crashed in cyberattacks allegedly conducted by Russia. Netblocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and governance of the internet, posted on Twitter that Ukraine's State Savings Bank showed a loss of connectivity with its network data.
Ukraine's Struggles
Ukrainian officials are now preparing to deal with more cyberattacks as Russian aggression is evident after Putin's deployment of "peacekeeping" forces to two breakaway regions. The hacks have the potential to cripple the country's infrastructure that would affect water, electricity, and telecommunication services.
The situation would further debilitate Ukraine as it struggles to contend with Putin's continued invasion of the region. Russia's support of cyberattacks falls under the traditional attack categories of sabotage, espionage, and subversion.
These types of hacks can be used more rapidly than conventional weapons and largely remove barriers of time and distance. The ones who conduct these cyberattacks take little risks and spend little funds. However, the defending side is forced to contend with high costs and could prove difficult to solve.
President Putin led an effort to modernize his country's military and incorporate cyber strategies into the mix after Russia's withdrawal from Georgia in 2008. Since then, state-sanctioned cyberattacks have been at the forefront of Moscow's warfare strategy, The Conversation reported.
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