Security News > 2022 > August > Russian invasion has dangerously destabilized cyber security norms

The hacktivist attacks that have occurred during the ongoing war in Ukraine are setting a dangerous precedent for cyber norms - and infrastructure security, according to journalist and author Kim Zetter.

Zetter, for her part, focused on Ukrainian hacktivists and sympathizers, possibly because Russia usually displays very little regard for international norms, cyber or otherwise.

Shortly after Russia invaded and began conducting data-wiper attacks against Ukrainian organizations and infrastructure, Ukraine's Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov issued a call to arms for volunteer hacktivists to launch offensive cyber operations against Russia and issued a list of 31 government and commercial websites to attack.

There appears to be in-house teams conducting more sophisticated operations for the IT Army that either consists of Ukrainian defense and intelligence personnel, or has direct ties to them and may also be getting tasking from them," Zetter said, citing a June report by cyberdefense researcher Stefan Soesanto for Switzerland's Center for Security Studies.

A third potentially problematic element, according to Zetter is Ukrainian-owned security firms in and outside the country that provide support tools to the IT Army.

"Soesanto says continuing to ignore the essence of the IT Army will wreak havoc on the future stability of cyberspace, and with it the national security landscape in Europe and beyond," Zetter said.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2022/08/11/black_hat_hacktivists/