[ad_1]
Some of the online fighters have moved away from the tactics used previously in the conflict. In the initial phase of the war, Ukrainian hackers focused on attacks aimed at taking Russian websites offline. Russian hackers targeted Ukrainian government websites in January before the invasion and installed “wipe” malware that permanently wiped data from computer networks. More recently, Russian hackers appear to have launched attacks that could turn off electricity or shut down military communications. (American officials say many of these efforts have failed.)
However, the disclosure of personal data is more like information warfare than cyber warfare. Russia’s tactics have repercussions in 2016, when hackers backed by a Russian intelligence agency stole and leaked data from the Democratic National Committee and those working on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The purpose of such hacks is to embarrass and influence political outcomes, rather than destroying equipment or infrastructure.
Experts have warned that the involvement of amateur hackers in the conflict in Ukraine could lead to confusion and encourage more state-sponsored hacking as governments try to defend themselves and counteract their attackers.
“Some cybercrime groups have recently pledged their support to the Russian government,” said the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. warned in a recommendation Wednesday. “These Russian-linked cybercriminal groups threatened to conduct cyber operations in retaliation for perceived cyberattacks against the Russian government or the Russian people.”
Distributed Denial of Secrets, the nonprofit that publishes most of the leaked material, was founded in 2018 and publishes material from US law enforcement, front companies, and right-wing groups. But since the start of the war in Ukraine, the group has been flooded with data from Russian government agencies and companies. It currently hosts more than 40 datasets on Russian assets.
“There has been a lot more activity on this front since the start of the war,” said Lorax B. Horne, member of DDoSecrets. “Since the end of February, we haven’t had all-Russian datasets, but there has been a huge amount of data we got.”
DDoSecrets works as a clearinghouse that publishes data it receives from sources through an open submission process. The organization says its mission is transparency to the public and avoids political affiliations. It is often described as the successor to WikiLeaks, another nonprofit group that publishes leaked data from anonymous sources.
[ad_2]
Source link