Tag Archive for: cyber

World’s 1st full-fledged cyber war raging since 2022

/in


Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked the start of what should be termed – in view of the unprecedented scale and sophistication of the cyber operations that accompanied Russia’s military actions – the world’s first cyber war.

It gave the world insight into how cyber operations would be integrated with the physical battlefield going forward.

Moreover, Ukraine showcased to the international community not only the critical importance of robust cyber defenses but also the complexity involved in their implementation. This complexity arises from the coalition that extends beyond the support of Western governments to include the pivotal contributions of tech companies in strengthening Ukraine’s cyber defenses.

In the months leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a series of cyberattacks was launched against Ukrainian targets. On January 13 of that year, Microsoft detected and reported malware that was targeting the Ukrainian Government aand various non-profit organizations and IT companies. 

That turned out to be part of a broader pattern of digital aggression attributed to Russia. The following day, Russia escalated its cyber war, conducting a significant cyberattack that affected various Ukrainian government institutions and resulted in dozens of government websites being controlled by hackers. 

In response, NATO stepped up its support for Ukraine in the cyber domain, which included providing Ukraine with access to NATO’s system for sharing information about malicious software.

The cyberattacks continued into mid-February, culminating in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that temporarily disabled the online services of several Ukrainian government departments, financial institutions and radio stations. The attacks took down Ukraine’s two largest banks, PrivatBank and Oschadbank. PrivatBank had to release a statement assuring the public that there was no threat to depositors’ funds. 

These attacks were intended to create panic and confusion and to destabilize Ukraine and were attributed to Russia’s Ministry of Defense Intelligence Directorate (GRU). On February 24,…

Source…

Exploitation of vulnerability affecting Palo Alto… – NCSC.GOV.UK – National Cyber Security Centre

/in



Exploitation of vulnerability affecting Palo Alto… – NCSC.GOV.UK  National Cyber Security Centre

Source…

Russia behind cyber attacks on Western utilities, security firm says | Yle News

/in


“It’s kind of an escalation in that we’re seeing more than just data collection, surveillance and intelligence gathering,” Mikko Hyppönen says.

Portrait of a man with glasses, a mustache and dark hair combed back into a ponytail, wearing a blue blazer.

Withsecure’s research director Mikko Hyppönen Image: Jari Kovalainen / Yle

Russia has used malware in cyber attacks on targets in Eastern European countries since at least mid-2022, according to Finnish cyber security firm Withsecure.

More specifically, the company has reported that a Russian military intelligence effort led to the breach of databases belonging to an Estonian logistics company.

Finland’s eastern neighbour also appears to have tampered with water utility data systems in the US, France and Poland, according to Mandiant, a data security firm and subsidiary of Google.

So far, the cyberattacks do not appear to have caused significant disruptions. For example, the attack in the US caused a water tank at a facility in Texas to overflow until the system was brought under control, according to CNN.

But according to Withsecure’s research director, Mikko Hyppönen, it is a serious matter if Russia has started carrying out cyber attacks on Nato countries’ utilities.

“It’s kind of an escalation in that we’re seeing more than just data collection, surveillance and intelligence gathering,” Hyppönen told Yle.

Hyppönen: Russia attacked Estonian firm

At the end of 2022 malicious code dubbed “Kapeka” helped hackers to breach a database belonging to an Estonian logistics firm. A recent study at Withsecure revealed who was behind the attack, according to Hyppönen.

“Our research linked the Kapeka malware directly to Russia’s Sandworm group, the country’s military cyber intelligence unit,” he explained.

The Sandworm group is known for having carried out several destructive attacks in Ukraine, including temporarily knocking out the war-torn country’s electricity grid.

“Kapeka’s development and deployment likely follow the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, with Kapeka being likely used in targeted attacks of firms across Central and Eastern Europe since the illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” a Withsecure brief on the matter explained.

According to Hyppönen, the Sandworm-delivered malware in Estonia caused disruptions at the…

Source…

How Israel could strike Iran, from cyber attacks to assassinations

/in


The two states have been involved in a shadow war for decades, with Tehran funding terrorist groups around Israel and the latter responding with covert attacks

Published Apr 19, 2024  •  5 minute read

An Israeli flag flies on a hill overlooking Jerusalem
An Israeli flag flies on the Mount of Olives overlooking the city skyline in Jerusalem on April 19, 2024. Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

For days, Iran was bracing for an Israeli retaliation.

On Thursday night, long-distance aircraft fired missiles on an Iranian airforce base, breaking the lull in the Islamic Republic’s Isfahan city, Israeli media reported. Two Israeli officials reportedly confirmed the country’s involvement in the attack.

Article content

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the U.S. told members of the G7 that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone strike in Iran, but added that the U.S. did not participate in the offensive.

Advertisement 2

Source…