Five Eyes Warns of Russian Hacks on Critical Infrastructure

Russian government hackers and cybercrime groups are teaming up to launch cyberattacks against the West in retaliation for its support of Ukraine, intelligence officials warn.

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Some cybercrime groups have pledged to support the Russian government and threatened to conduct cyber operations against countries providing material support to Ukraine, authorities in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom warn. Meanwhile, other groups have conducted disruptive attacks against Ukrainian websites in support of the Russian military offensive.

“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could expose organizations both within and beyond the region to increased malicious cyber activities,” members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance write in a joint cybersecurity advisory. “This activity may occur as a response to the unprecedented economic costs imposed on Russia as well as material support provided by the United States and U.S. allies and partners.”

On the government side, Russian state-sponsored cyber operators have recently launched distributed denial-of-service attacks and previously deployed destructive malware against Ukrainian government and critical infrastructure organizations. They are able to compromise IT networks; maintain long-term, persistent access; exfiltrate sensitive data; and disrupt critical industrial control systems functions (see: US, NATO Discuss Ukrainian Cyber Aid Amid…