The advancement of Russian forces into neighboring Ukraine has been met with significant international condemnation. While stopping short of military intervention, many Western nations and corporations have responded by imposing extensive sanctions, cutting off the country and its citizens from assets, services and vital revenue streams. While the impact of these sanctions on the outcome of the conflict remains to be seen, they are already causing widespread disruption across Russia and beyond. US and UK officials have since warned that retaliation will come in the form of increased cyber-attacks against Western businesses and government bodies. This should not come as a surprise. Russia has a long history of cyber warfare. However, this type of nation-state attack is not the whole picture. As with any mass disruption, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been seized upon by opportunist cyber-criminals, tailoring and targeting their lures to capitalize on confusion and disinformation. It doesn’t stop here. We’re also seeing unusual ‘reverse’ style attacks. Hacker groups such as Anonymous claim they are targeting Western organizations that are still operating in Russia. This again illustrates that the cyber-threat landscape during major global conflicts can evolve in many ways, some we haven’t seen before.
Read more : Capitalizing on a Crisis: What Global Events Mean for Cybersecurity.
