Russian Cyber Army Targets Slovenia
Russian Cyber Army confirmed another DDoS attack on Slovenia, this time targeting the website of Krka. The hackers made it clear that the reason for the attack had to do with Slovenia’s support of Ukraine in the ongoing war.
- Russian Cyber Army has a rich history with numerous attacks over the years
- This recent attack has been relatively mild, but it has succeeded at one thing: sending a message
- Russia has been active in all areas of combat, including the cyberspace
- No Slovenian representative has commented on the incident
Russia’s cyber-warfare dates back to the 90s, but it is unclear when the country first dabbled in it. Since then, Russia’s approach has become increasingly more aggressive but also more tactical and sophisticated.
Russian Cyber Army uses a variety of tools to discredit, intimidate, and debilitate its targets. These include DDoS floods, blackmail, propaganda, spreading misinformation, discrediting institutions and individuals, and so on.
According to the hackers’ OP, this operation was triggered by Slovenia’s pro-Ukrainian stance. Slovenia’s president, Natasa Pirc Musar, recently stated: “The people of Ukraine will need our support long after the guns have fallen silent.”
At the same time, she disapproved of the Russian aggression, stating that it violates Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence. These stances alone have motivated the Russian Cyber Army during a number of cyberattacks in the past.
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How the Russian Cyber Army Operates
Russia is no novice in the cyberwarfare sphere. While the Russian government has its own army of hackers and operators, it also uses other tools to reach its goals. One of them is relying on affiliates and collaborators to gain plausible deniability.
Some of these collaborators include pro-Russian groups like Killnet, Xaknet, NoName, and many others. While it’s very difficult to prove that the Russian government contracts the services of these actors, that doesn’t stop speculation.
Especially since these pro-Russian organizations are highly effective at pushing Russia’s interests wherever they need to get. Russian Cyber Army has been highly active since the beginning of the 2022 war.
While Ukraine has been its main target, this was soon followed by all of its allies. The goal is to cut the money pipe coming from across the Ukrainian border and fueling the Ukrainian resistance.
It’s unclear how effective Russia is in this area, given the massive amount of disinformation that the Moscow government engages in. Which is increased tenfold in times of war.
When it comes to actual MO, the Russian Cyber Army likes to keep things simple. DDoS attacks are the norm because they’re easy to inflict and can produce significant damage. But other methods are available as well.
Stealing data, getting access to sensitive information, and performing character and reputation assassinations, are all valid tools. Overall, the Russian Cyber Army prefers to target governmental institutions for obvious reasons.
But they have been known to hit private corporations as well if they’re involved in the ongoing conflict in any capacity. If you’re among them, it would be wise to work on your cybersecurity ASAP.