Russia warns governments not to launch cyber attacks against it. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, "anonymous hackers and provocateurs supporting the Kiev regime" are waging a cyberwar of unprecedented proportions. The Kremlin promises to crack down on this cyber aggression. The Foreign Ministry states this in a press statement, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
It has now been five weeks since Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine. The war is raging not only on the ground, but also online. The first cyber attack took place just before the Russian invasion. Hackers then took down websites of several Ukrainian government departments. "Be afraid and expect the worst," the message read.
A few days after the outbreak of war, a DDoS attack took place. Two Ukrainian banks and the Ministry of Defense were targeted at the time. Security experts suspect that Russian state hackers were responsible for both attacks. The Kremlin strenuously denies having anything to do with it.
Russia itself has also been targeted more than once by hackers. Hacker group Anonymous has attacked the country several times in recent weeks. Members took the websites of the Kremlin, the Defense Ministry and the State Duma offline, among others. The group also claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on Russia's Central Bank.
The cyber attacks have not gone unnoticed by the Russian Foreign Ministry. In a press statement, the department writes that "an army of cyber mercenaries" is waging war against Russia. This is completely unacceptable.
"No one should doubt that the cyber aggression unleashed against Russia will lead to serious consequences for the instigators and perpetrators. The source of the attacks will be traced. The attackers will inevitably bear responsibility for their actions in accordance with the requirements of the law," the ministry said in a press statement.
The department alludes to harsh retaliation against the hackers, who it says are guilty of terrorism. The cyberattacks, according to the ministry, are carried out by "anonymous hackers and provocateurs" trained by the U.S. and other NATO countries. They are following orders to carry out coordinated attacks of "unprecedented scale" against Russia. "Western coordinators supporting the regime in Kiev" are behind the attacks, according to the Kremlin.
The State Department ends the press release by saying that strengthening ICT infrastructure is one of the main priorities for Russia to ensure national security.
Cybersecurity expert Ricky Gevers tells BNR that this is the first time Russia has announced tough actions against foreign hackers. "The Americans have been tackling Russian state hackers for some time. By naming them by first and last name, for example. Now Russia is doing the same, but I think you should see this mainly as a kind of warning."
Gevers thinks we should be very concerned about Russian retaliation. As an example, he cites the NotPetya ransomware attack in 2017. The malware completely shut down the port of Rotterdam. As a result, the supply and export of goods with mainland Europe came to a complete halt. NotPetya caused damage worth 300 to 450 million euros, including the need to replace more than 30,000 computers.
"More such attacks have been carried out by Russia," Gevers knows. "During this war, pretty little has been deployed. So we know about Russia that they are holding back some things. They are undoubtedly all over the world that we don't know are there. Think of energy parties or ministries in the Netherlands, for example. The access they have there they can use for retaliation. Russia has also warned countries. The Netherlands has promised Ukraine that they will help it digitally. There could be a retaliatory response to that."
The National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) said recently that there are currently no indications of advanced cyber attacks that could have consequences for the Dutch infrastructure. "The situation may be different tomorrow; we do not rule out attacks and their possible consequences on the Netherlands," the cyber service said. It advises Dutch companies to do everything possible to increase their cyber defenses.
