Ukraine + Russia: Cyber attacks
On February 13th, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russia escalated their destablization efforts against the Ukraine through cyberattacks. In addition to deploying soldiers around Ukraines border and attempting to disrupt their economy, Russia is using technology to attempt to weaken communication and cause confusion within the Ukraine (Wall Street Journal).
In January, a massive cyber attack took down roughly 70 government websites in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian government is alleging Russia is behind the attack, however there is no confirmed culprit. Russia has a lengthy history with using technology to disrupt online services and cause confusion in many areas around the world. Cyber attack groups in Russia have previously turned off power in areas in the Ukraine and launched viruses that severely impaired many Ukrianian businesses (Global News).
Western Response and Involvement
This past week, the Biden administration held a meeting involving national security and intelligence agencies focused on cyber attacks from Russian entities (Russian born and/or state groups are considered to be a possible threat). Among the topics discussed were potential ways to assist the Ukraine in fending off future attacks and how the American government should respond to potential attacks (CNN ).
Here in Canada, national organizations are aware of threats and actively warning companies about potential threats. In late January, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department was targetted by a cyberattack, however no group was named responsible. Following the attack, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security alerted Canadian companies to watch out for Russian attacks, and improve their detection and protection techniques (Global News).
“Stephanie Carvin, a former national security analyst and an associate professor of international relations at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, said Canada is likely to be a top-tier target of Russian hacking as tensions rise in Eastern Europe. ” (Globe and Mail)
Currently, there are roughly 200 troops in the Ukraine and there is a real possibility of sending a larger military presence and more resources such as weapons, and gear. Canada has been clear on its position in this conflict, maintaining independence for the Ukraine from Russia (Globe and Mail).
My thoughts:
These attacks on the Ukraine, United States, Canada and more countries represent a new, and extremely effective tactic of warfare. As evidenced by recent events, cyberattacks can cause intense chaos and uncertainty, and throw countries into uncharted territory. There will no doubt be more targetted attacks, and the damage of those are limitless. An interesting aspect of this history in Russia is there lack of consequences for hacker groups that originate from their country. These groups have caused severe damage and yet have not faced consequences. International governments are aware of the possibility that these attacks could be from informal attackers or state sanctioned individuals.
The possibility of privacy being maintained during one of these attacks is completely out of the question. I am curious as to if in the future the data leaked during these attacks will be used to damage individuals.
The future of cybersecurity is very uncertain. Personally, I feel as though there are endless possibilities of methods of attack and response. This tactic will no doubt be used indefinitely in conflicts in the future, however it will be interesting (and terrifying) to see which countries emerge with the most advanced techniques first.
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