Cybersecurity Experts Warn Of Mounting Cyberattacks In Ukraine - And Possible Global Impact

In recent weeks, there has been evidence of a small but increasing number of cyberattacks in Ukraine believed to be initiated by the Russian government and military. Hacker groups linked to Russia’s intelligence services have been blamed for defacing a number of Ukrainian government sites with various threats and warnings. Microsoft has also reported dozens of computer networks belonging to Ukrainian government agencies being infected with destructive malware disguised as ransomware. According to the software giant, many of the targeted systems include those that provide executive and emergency response functions.

This is likely only the beginning, many cybersecurity experts have warned, of an ongoing and mounting volley of cyberattacks in an effort to destabilise Ukraine’s government and economy. Furthermore, they have warned that such an online assault could have far reaching consequences for the rest of world.

Adam Meyers, the senior vice president of intelligence at CrowdStrike, a leading cybersecurity company based in the US, says that the nature of the cyberattacks indicate a “refinement of Russia’s cyber capabilities”, and that Ukraine has been a sort “laboratory of experimentation” for quite some time.

He referred to the “NotPetya” attack that occurred in Ukraine in 2017, which, though appearing to behave like ransomware, on closer inspection revealed a malware engineered to destroy and corrupt data, rather than lock it up for ransom. Its purpose was to cause havoc in Ukraine, and that it did, crippling numerous computers and networks nationwide. It didn’t stop there however, spreading beyond Ukraine and infecting, and even temporarily shutting down, major companies abroad such as FedEx, Merck, AP Moller-Maersk, and Cadbury.

A more recent spurt of malware attacks in Ukraine, dubbed WhisperGate, also appeared to be a similar kind of destructive ransomware, Meyers claims. Fortunately, when you play the tragamonedas Chile offers, this is not something you need to worry about.

Cyber-warfare has become an ever-increasing part of modern Russian military strategy, and with a reported 100,000 Russian troops massed at Ukraine’s border, concerns are high for an imminent invasion. Before that happens though, cyberattacks are warned to be just one of the many methods that Russia is likely to employ should it choose to invade. Other chief methods being propaganda and misinformation, and an all-round escalation in the attempt to prevent Ukraine from joining the NATO security alliance.

For instance, US intelligence officials have warned that they have obtained evidence that Russia has plans to fake an attack on its troops by the Ukrainian military, to use as a pretext for invasion.

For now, negotiations and diplomatic activity continue in the aim of diffusing tensions, with French president, Emmanuel Macron, among many, meeting and attempting to dissuade Putin from taking any further aggressive action.

It could very well be that the far-reaching consequences of cyber-warfare will prove to be dire for other countries, and online companies and agencies, caught up in an onslaught of malware infection aimed at Ukraine. However, this will likely still be small in comparison to the destruction and loss of life that will undoubtedly occur should Russia move to take Ukraine by military force.