Security News > 2022 > April > Moving towards defense in depth under the gray skies of conflict

The war in Ukraine is in the second month of bloodshed and the broader impact of the conflict is being felt across the globe, as markets react to increased fuel prices and the consequences of Russia's growing political and economic isolation.

The modus operandi of NATO leaders has been to contribute military and humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian government, while remaining below the threshold of direct engagement with Russia - a situation where the possibility of an escalation towards nuclear confrontation is evident in both the Kremlin's rhetoric and Russian doctrinal support for the use of nuclear munitions to end conventional conflict.

Although a rapid cessation of hostilities remains the fervent hope of the wider international community, the impact of Russia's assault on Ukraine will carry with it significant consequences in terms of great power competition and the methods employed by Russia to ameliorate the punitive political and economic measures imposed upon it.

The Russian conceptualization of the gray zone renders cyberattack an effective tool with which to counter Western sanctions and support for Ukraine, while remaining below the threshold of armed conflict that would constitute expansion of the present war to include other states, including members of NATO. If the premise that a persistent residual cyber threat must be countered until some future normalization of East-West relations in the wake of the war in Ukraine, it is beholden upon all cyber security professionals and business owners to consider the pragmatic steps necessary to protect their organizations and ensure systemic resilience against a motivated and sophisticated adversary.

As the commercial organizations and government institutions addressed by President Biden grapple with the new reality of their, albeit unwanted and unwitting, participation in the gray zone conflict that is set to endure beyond a hoped-for peace accord in Ukraine; a new, holistic, approach to cyber security, founded on true end-to-end encryption of data and robust verification of applications at runtime, is essential.

While new strategic investments in cybersecurity will be made in response to the elevated threat posed by Russia and its various agents, this reinforcement and renewal should also be seen as a strategic opportunity to restrict the gray zone and impose stronger limitations on the ability of both nation state actors and criminal groups to do economic and physical harm by digital means.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/04/19/russia-cyberattacks/