Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, all eyes have been trained on the developing conflict. Behind the reports of tank warfare and airstrikes, however, lurks something else: cyberattacks.
On Feb. 23, Ukrainian cyber security firm ESET reported that hundreds of computers were found to be infected with a virus that they characterized as a “data-wiping program,” according to Reuters. ESET theorized that the virus attack had probably been planned months before and targeted government and financial institutions. While Russia is broadly suspected to have initiated the attacks, they, of course, deny all wrongdoing.
Reuters reported that Ukraine has been hit with multiple cyberattacks, likely from Russia, since around 2014, and that this type of warfare is increasingly being used to destabilize countries’ banking and governing systems before a physical invasion takes place.
According to the Washington Post, such cyberattacks may become more damaging and frequent as the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalates. One official said that “hackers working for Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, and its military spy agency, the GRU, have been spotted inside Ukraine’s systems” and that the United States may also be at risk.
In fact, NATO has already created a defense plan in case Russia strikes an affiliated country. According to Reuters, a cyberattack on a NATO country would “trigger” its Article 5 clause, which would allow the associated nations to retaliate in self-defense. Since Poland, a NATO country, is adjacent to Ukraine, officials quoted by Reuters have speculated about potential responses in case a Russian cyberattack on Ukraine affects Poland.
“Any response could include diplomatic and economic sanctions, cyber measures, or even conventional forces, depending on the nature of the attack,” one official said.
Cyberattacks have not been exclusively Russian, however. When Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a call for foreign volunteers to aid in the fight against Russia on Feb. 27, he may not have expected hackers to respond. Nevertheless, the members of “Anonymous,” a group of hackers from around the world who organized via Twitter, have put their skills to use fighting Russia in cyberspace.
“Posts by the account claimed responsibility for disabling websites belonging to the Russian oil giant Gazprom, the state-controlled Russian news agency RT, and numerous Russian and Belarusian government agencies, including the Kremlin’s official site,” CNBC reported.
Even Elon Musk has responded to Russian cyber threats, shipping truckloads of Starlink terminals to Ukraine free of charge to help the country stay online in the wake of the recent cyberattacks. According to Fox Business, the terminals connect to corresponding Starlink satellites which provide high-speed internet to users.
While cyber support – whether from well-intentioned hackers or Elon Musk – may not seem like much in comparison to actual military assistance, keeping Ukraine online is crucial to its survival. Most institutions, including banks and government agencies, store highly sensitive information online, and breaches can easily turn into national security threats. Additionally, if Ukraine’s internet was to go out, it would become extremely difficult for Ukrainians to communicate with each other and with other nations, essentially cutting them off from the outside world.
According to Emil Sayegh, writing for Forbes, “Financial institutions, critical infrastructure, government contractors, even providers of the internet itself must be prepared for what is happening and will continue to happen for some time to come.”
Cyberattacks aren’t going anywhere, and may become more and more devastating as sanctions against Russia begin to take effect. Even with Elon Musk on its side, Ukraine must stay vigilant in guarding itself against further data wipes, information grabs, and internet outages during this uncertain time.