In war, all means are good. Fighting is not only on the battlefield with the use of tanks and aircraft. The conflict in the east of Ukraine demonstrated a completely new generation of confrontation - this is a combined war. In addition to the clashes with the use of classical weapons, the opposition has moved to the Internet space.
Russia is waging a sustained cyber campaign against the Ukrainian military and law enforcement agencies. Documented data on this matter was published by the security company Lookingglass from Virginia. With the help of digital attacks on the servers of Ukrainian security forces, Russian Internet special forces are trying to establish a stable leak of secret documents. They can then be used for military purposes, he writes about this
Npr.During the Second World War, or “Cold” War, in order to obtain secret information about the enemy army, it was necessary to introduce entire spy and intelligence networks. Nowadays, a hacker working for his country’s intelligence service can collect data about the enemy’s plans, number and location without leaving his workplace.
So, at one of the Russian Internet portals, at the end of last year, personal data of fighters from one of the Ukrainian landing brigades were published.
The network was not only personal information, but also data on the deployment of the military. Relatives of the soldiers were frightened: after all, the information can be used to prosecute military personnel.
Cyber troops, having reconnoitred the data, can transfer their artillery, which, in turn, will cover the military with artillery fire.
The CEO of security firm Lookingglass says cyber attacks like these happen all the time. Often they try to hack the system using malware that comes via email along with the message.
Lead researcher Jason Lewis explained how the “hacking” occurs. He showed a Microsoft Word file, dated January 15, 2015, with an overview of the situation on the border of Russia and Ukraine with the inscription “not for distribution.”
Apparently, the author is the State Border Service of Ukraine. Hackers stole this document, inserted a hidden malware, and sent it to other military men.
The idea behind these emails is that someone will see this message and think, “Oh, this is news for today. I’ll open it and read it.”
As soon as the message opens, the malware infects the computer. After that, hackers can extract more sensitive information. Use it for your own purposes, or give it to militant leaders.
With such cyber attacks, it is very difficult to know exactly who the hacker is.
Researchers have discovered an interesting fact - cyber armies are beginning to consider themselves an integral part of the army.
When the Ukrainian military and the militants agreed on a cease-fire in June last year, the cyber attacks also stopped. As soon as the mode of silence was roughly broken, the digital attack resumed.
“This is incredibly interesting,” says Fred Keith, a cybersecurity expert and professor at Indiana University. “The hackers seem to consider themselves part of the battlefield, and stop their attacks when both sides cease fire.”
This study is one of the few documented examples of cyber warfare. The data published by Lookingglass could serve as a new weapon for the Ukrainian military against the enemy.
