Ukraine Faces More Phishing Attacks Amid Imminent Russian Invasion

Back in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea which was one of the sovereign regions of Ukraine.  Consequently, Ukraine sought help from the west and there were talks about Ukraine’s inclusion in NATO which has offset Russia and the latter has called for an invasion in such a case. Now, as worries of an imminent Russian invasion reach a peak, Ukraine is facing increased cyberattacks. According to Netblocks and Gizmodo, Ukraine’s defense ministry as well as two state-owned banks, Oshchadbank and Privatbank, have been subjected to denial-of-service attacks that have flooded their websites with traffic.

Furthermore, the website of the country’s armed forces looks to have been hacked as well. For many Ukrainians, the implications include trouble utilizing ATMs and other banking services, according to Christopher Miller of BuzzFeed.

Ukraine Faces More Phishing Attacks Amid Imminent Russian Invasion

Although the attacks were not specifically blamed on Russia, they happened just a month after Ukraine blamed its neighbor for a campaign that disrupted dozens of government websites. To inflict severe damage, the attackers utilized simply destructive software disguised as ransomware. Russia has previously been accused of using cyberwarfare to disrupt and influence political rivals such as the European Union and the United States, despite its denials.

As you might expect, the concern is that Russia may be deploying hacks like these to wreak havoc ahead of an invasion that the US claims might occur soon. In principle, Ukraine may find it more difficult to mobilize an effective response with already thwarted defense software.  On the other hand, if Russia is involved, the disruptions might be used as a bargaining chip to get concessions like a pledge of not joining NATO, which is a major source of conflict between Russia and its neighbor.

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