Russia is well-prepared for cyber war

by Jurgita Lapienytė, Cybernews

For the first time ever, we are witnessing a real cyber war, Denys Tsvaig, the president of Ukraine’s national cybersecurity association, told Cybernews.

The war in Ukraine caused turmoil in the cyber realm, with many pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian citizens worldwide joining various efforts to fight.

Hacktivism gained momentum soon after the invasion, causing collateral damage. Recently, the pro-Russian Killnet group made headlines after attacking Ukraine ally Lithuania’s websites in response to the Baltic country following EU sanctions.

Hacktivism aside, Ukraine and Russia have used cyber weapons to support their kinetic operations. For example, Russia resorted to disinformation before many major military strikes. In its turn, Ukraine allegedly was able to cause some physical damage to Russian infrastructure using its IT resources, as unverified reports say.

Some say Russia’s cyber weapons are just as weak as its artillery. The State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine expressed hopes that Russia had exhausted its digital arsenal.

It might turn out to be only wishful thinking. The Department of Justice is bracing for the possibility of more cyberattacks from Russia, given that the Kremlin’s supporters target Ukraine and its allies.

“Russia was shocked by our cyberattacks, but now, they are better prepared,” Tsvaig told Cybernews. “There were numerous attacks on critical infrastructure objects, nuclear power plants, communication, and telecoms.”