Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence has predicted an increase in attacks originating from Russia against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, such as the energy industry. This prediction was made on the basis that as it gets colder and winter approaches, Russia will target the energy sector to impact civilians and threaten their security. Kyiv has warned that the Russian government is currently planning a new cyberattack campaign against Ukraine an dits allies. If intelligence gathered by Ukraine is accurate, the campaign could look similar to the series of devastating attacks that occurred in 2015 and 2016 when the Kremlin targeted Ukrainian facilities and left hundreds of civilians without power.
Kyiv has also confirmed that its experiences from responding to previous incidents targeting is critical infrastructure will help the country to prepare for the predicted assault. Ukraine energy providers are preparing for more attacks using both destructive and wiper malware. In April of this year, Microsoft claimed that the country had already suffered from 230 cyberattack campaigns. The Baltic states should also be prepared for an onslaught of cyberattacks as Russia ramps up its efforts.
