Russian Cyber Army Targets Ukraine’s YASNO
Russian Cyber Army targeted YASNO, a Ukrainian supplier of electricity and gas. The Kyiv government didn’t comment on the attack, but that was to be expected.
- Russia and Ukraine have been exchanging cyber-attacks since the beginning of the war in 2022, and even prior to that
- Russian Cyber Army has a history of decades of cyber-attacks and has operated on a global scale since the 90s
- This recent attack was a standard DDoS flood, which is the Russian Cyber Army’s core MO
- The attack is meant to disrupt the victim’s systems and cause as much damage as possible with minimal costs
The way the cybercriminal organization achieves that is by flooding the target website with millions of bots to disable it. In many cases, this can sideline the website for days, or even weeks, incurring considerable financial losses in the process.
It’s not difficult to find a reason for the Russian Cyber Army’s recent attack on the Ukrainian target. Russia has been hitting Ukraine and its allies ever since the beginning of the war. And it’s not just Russia. Numerous other hacking gangs have joined the party since.
One of them is the infamous NoName, which currently ranks as the most aggressive, resourceful, and active pro-Russian group. Others, like KillNet and XakNet, aren’t as active, but they often collaborate to conduct more extensive operations.
DDoS attacks have grown rampant over the course of the last 2 years and much of it relates to the ongoing Ruso-Ukrainian conflict. Both parties target each other, and each other’s allies, but Russia appears to be in the lead for now.
Not only that, but many pro-Russian organizations have also joined in to pledge allegiance to the Moscow regime. This has led to hundreds, if not thousands, of victims across all cybercriminal organizations.
NoName alone has several hundreds confirmed to its name.
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How Russian Cyber Army Operates
Russian Cyber Army is allegedly very well organized and disciplined. The hackers also appear to be very resourceful and knowledgeable, which implies that Russia values competence above all else.
While DDoS attacks are one of Russia’s primary weapons, it’s not the only one that they’ve been using. Russian Cyber Army engages in full-scale cyberwarfare, which involves using a variety of tactics to disarm, confuse, and intimidate the target.
These include stealing valuable information, blackmailing opponents, engaging in disinformation, spreading propaganda, and intimidating targets directly. It’s not uncommon for hackers to send threatening or extortion letters to private individuals as well.
This recent attack on Ukraine has been but one of many so far, and many more to follow. Russian Cyber Army posted evidence of the attack on their public platform, but they didn’t detail the reasons. These can be easily deduced.
An important note, the Russian Cyber Army, like any other pro-Russian cybercriminal gang, can and will target both governmental institutions and private corporations. If you believe you qualify as a potential DDoS target, take measures.
The best course of action is to contact your cybersecurity expert(s) of choice and rely on their expertise to boost your defenses.