Ukraine – Russia cyber war could impact the Global global: In addition to the military aggression in Ukraine, Russia is also carrying out large-scale cyberattacks. Australia’s Cyber Security Center has called on various organizations and businesses in the country to be on high alert.
The National Cyber Security Center in the United Kingdom, the Department of Homeland Security in the United States, and relevant departments of the New Zealand government have issued similar warnings to organizations in their home countries, such as Australia. Countries fear their own institutions could be affected by Russia’s cyber-attacks.
The Australian Cyber Security Center said in a statement that the “threat” posed a direct threat to Australia. But the fear is of the indirect effects of “unintentional disruption and uncontrolled and harmful cyber activities.”
Russia’s cyber-attacks on countries that were not the main target of the attack have already caused major damage, according to Reuters.
Ukraine has been the target of Russian cyberattacks for weeks. One of the deadliest attacks took place on Wednesday. The Ukrainian government websites and online banking services were damaged in the attack. The intensity of the attack increased further on Thursday.
The cyber-attacks were DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, Reuters reported. In such an attack, the attacker disables the target website or server by sending excessive traffic.
Malware Found
On the other hand, the cyber security organization ESET has identified the presence of ‘HermeticWiper‘ malware capable of deleting data on hundreds of computers in Ukraine, Latvia, and Lithuania. The company’s experts say that the malware has reached this stage after several months of continuous efforts.
The same information was given by the cyber security expert of the software maker ‘Symantec’. They work under contract with the Ukrainian government – they have identified the same malware in companies in Latvia and Lithuania. The ‘Hermetic Viper‘ has also been identified in Ukrainian banks.
In such a situation, other countries, including Australia, are fearing the indirect effects of Russia’s cyber attack. An example is bank transactions. An Australian citizen can become a victim of malware if he or she makes financial transactions with a Ukrainian bank.
All international transactions conducted through malware-infected banks will be at risk of malware infection and its effects can reach any part of the world. In addition, DDoS attacks on Ukraine’s media could disrupt important information delivery systems.
It is feared that Russia could launch a cyber attack to cut off natural gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine. This will destabilize the market system, lead to a crisis of goods, increase the price of goods and services. And if the market system becomes unstable, it will have an impact on Australia as well, according to Reuters.
For You: Ukraine is the Victim of DDoS Cyber Attack
Who can be Infected with Malware?
Technology-friendly companies from different countries work as part of the global supply chain. Russia and Ukraine, both of which have transactions or business relations with various organizations. Institutions can have a direct network connection with both countries through digital and in some cases VPN services. As a result, there is a risk of being an indirect victim of malware infection or cyber attack.
Viper malware can spread to more than one country in a matter of minutes if you can build a strong position in the computer network system. If there is a VPN connection with an office in Canberra, the malware can spread from one country to another.
One such malware was in 2017’s ‘Notpetya’. The malware was able to copy itself. It spread to the world market and caused the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars. Investigators have blamed Russia for the attack.
Is the Risk Only from Russia?
In addition to government-backed cyber-attacks, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is a fertile ground for cybercriminals to take advantage of, Reuters reported. Identifying the root causes of cybercrime is a difficult task. And the perpetrators can expect to get away with committing crimes at the opportunity of the instability of war. In addition, in the current situation, Russia will be the first to be blamed for any major cyber attack.
The current crisis could also lead to an increase in online phishing and fraud, Reuters reported. Opportunistic criminals may try to make their deception more credible in the name of global instability. Hackers could try to “phishing” Ukrainian citizens by sending emails asking for emergency financial assistance in disguise.
An effective defense measure in such a situation is to determine the level of risk on various institutions and businesses in the country. That is, to monitor all direct and indirect online communication with Ukraine and Russia. In addition, the general guidelines for cyber security can be the primary tool of defense. By keeping all devices and software ‘up-to-date’, it is possible to strengthen security at the individual and institutional level, even if only partially.
One of the major causes of the massive malware transmission in 2017 was the vulnerability of Microsoft Windows. At that time there was a patch for fixing the operating system in the market but it was not installed by many. As a result, the malware spread widely on Windows computers.
And there is a proliferation of pirated or stolen software in the Ukrainian market. So the issue of keeping software updated is getting more important when communicating with Ukraine. If you do not have the correct software license, you are more likely to not get the necessary software updates.
