Security News > 2022 > March > Russia's invasion of Ukraine tears open political rift between cybercriminals

Cybercriminals are taking sides over Russia's deadly invasion of Ukraine, putting either the West or Moscow in their sights, according to Accenture.

"Pro-Ukrainian actors are refusing to sell, buy, or collaborate with Russian-aligned actors and are increasingly attempting to target Russian entities in support of Ukraine," Accenture claimed.

The team said it "Observed multiple actors specifically stating desires to target Western critical infrastructure to support Russia."

Conti is one of these, and it's worth noting that last week several US agencies - CISA, the FBI, the NSA, and the Secret Service - posted a joint advisory warning that "Conti cyber-threat actors remain active and reported Conti ransomware attacks against US and international organizations have risen to more than 1,000.".

The team said it has "Has seen some of the biggest and seemingly ever-rising budgets for custom malware and exploits by these actors, with some actors like Integra and FlawlessMarble having budgets of $5m to $10m, allowing them to acquire almost any tool or exploit desired."

Its Unit 42 threat intelligence team also expects Russian-backed cyberattacks to spread beyond Ukraine.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/03/15/cyberciminals_russia_ukraine/