Socio-Economics History Blog

Socio-Economics History Blog

The Russia-NATO Cyber War Is Escalating Fast

by mosesman

  • The Russia-NATO Cyber War Is Escalating Fast
    by , https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/
    Fears are rising that the boundaries of the cyber war between Russia and NATO could soon spread beyond Europe.
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    Eight cybersecurity authorities from the so-called “Five Eye” nations (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand) released a joint statement on Thursday warning that more malicious cyber activity is on the way as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to undermine geopolitical stability. Before we look at the statement in any depth, an important five-pronged caveat is needed:

    • Both the US and the UK are among the primary antagonists in NATO’s ongoing war with Russia;
    • They both have significant offensive cyber war capabilities of their own;
    • US intelligence agencies, at Obama’s behest, have drawn up a list of potential overseas targets for cyber attacks;
    • Both countries have surreptitiously conducted vast surveillance programs, targeting not only their own populations but also citizens and government leaders of other countries;
    • The world right now is in the grip of the biggest information war of this century.

    As such, any information coming out of the Five Eyes’ intelligence services should be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism. That having been said, here are the first three paragraphs of the missive:
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    The cybersecurity authorities of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory. The intent of this joint CSA is to warn organizations that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could expose organizations both within and beyond the region to increased malicious cyber activity. This activity may occur as a response to the unprecedented economic costs imposed on Russia as well as materiel support provided by the United States and U.S. allies and partners.
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    Evolving intelligence indicates that the Russian government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks (see the March 21, 2022, Statement by U.S. President Biden for more information). Recent Russian state-sponsored cyber operations have included distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, and older operations have included deployment of destructive malware against Ukrainian government and critical infrastructure organizations.
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    Additionally, some cybercrime groups have recently publicly pledged support for the Russian government. These Russian-aligned cybercrime groups have threatened to conduct cyber operations in retaliation for perceived cyber offensives against the Russian government or the Russian people.
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    The document also emphasizes the frontline role likely to be played by Russian state actors, including the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), GRU’s Main Center for Special Technologies (GTsST) and the Central Scientific Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics (TsNIIKhM) of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Clearly, Russia has the capability to launch a barrage of cyber attacks against the west; the question is: does it want to?
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    read more.

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