Since Russia began its invasion, Ukraine's digital systems have been affected by cyber attacks. Russia's approach would be supplemented by a parallel cyber offensive.
Last week, Ukraine called on its citizens to take to their keyboards and defend the country against Russia's cyber threat. The hacktivist collective Anonymous called on its global army of cyber warriors to target Russia at the same time.
Since at least 2008Anonymous is a global activist community. There is a potential for significant cyber disruption in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The group has previously claimed responsibility for hacktivism against a wide range of targets. The group claims to have an anti-oppression agenda, and their activities are often aligned to major events.
There is no structure or leadership in the collective. Acts are undertaken under the banner "Anonymous", with some reports of limited rules of engagement being used to guide actions.
The responsibility for actions shifts to individuals when there is no formal legal status or assets. It is difficult to determine a specific source for a cyber security incident.
On February 16, a video message was posted by Anonymous TV. A masked speaker issues a serious warning to Russia, Leaning on the stereotypical hacker image.
If tensions continue to worsen in Ukraine, then we can take hostage […] industrial control systems. Sole party to be blamed if we escalate on that will be the same one who started it in the very first place with troop buildups, childish threats and waves of unreasonable ultimatums.
Several Russian government websites and media outlets have 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167 800-244-0167
The attacks have used the same distributed denial of service techniques used in previous cyber attacks. The attacker floods the websites with bot traffic and knocks them offline.
The theft and publication of Russian Department of Defence data may contain information useful to fighters in Ukraine. Emails from the Russian Nuclear Institute have also been accessed.
It's too early to say how useful these data will be. Most of the stolen information is in Russian, which means a translator will need to help examine it.
Russian TV channels were attacked and made to play Ukrainian music and show uncensored news from outside of Russia.
It is difficult to be certain that Anonymous did carry out the cyberattacks. There are no viable means of verification for the movement. The tactics, targets, and theatrics on show are consistent with previous attacks claimed by the group.
Even if some attacks are not a direct consequence of Anonymous actions, one could argue that this doesn't really matter. Being perceived as having an impact is what Anonymous is all about.
Russia's intent or military tactics are unlikely to be affected by the cyberattacks claimed by Anonymous. The Ukrainians and their allies would benefit from the intelligence provided by these actions.
The impact of the invasion on Ukrainian people is getting more publicity in Russia, where news is more restricted. This could help counter Russia's propaganda machine.
Both state and non-state actors will likely be involved in cyber attacks. Russia's National Computer Incident Response and Coordination Center has raised its threat level to Critical due to concerns about Russian infrastructure being targeted through cyber attacks.
Large numbers of Ukrainian cyber professionals have volunteered to assist with Ukraine's cyber defense. The volunteers are being organized through Telegram channels.
They want to help the government with cyber espionage, take down Russian misinformation from the web, and target Russian infrastructure.
Despite reports of 175,000 joining the cyber army, its impact so far remains unclear.
The Conversation has a Creative Commons license for this article by Paul Haskell-Dowland, Professor of Cyber Security Practice, Edith Cowan University. The original article is worth a read.
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