Russia is expected to step up its cyberattacks this winter and, beyond Ukraine, target all coalition partners. With, in the center, the European countries.
The Russian-Ukrainian war will spill over into global cyberspace. This is the message from Microsoft, which believes that the cyberattacks currently being carried out by Russia are likely to intensify in the coming months.
Objective disunity
The war in Ukraine could take new forms. After the various setbacks suffered by the Russian army in the Donbass, then more recently in Kherson, the Moscow headquarters decided to modify its strategy by targeting the critical infrastructures of Ukraine instead. These operations are carried out through bombardments and, according to Microsoft, coupled with cyber attacks.
These attacks will continue, still according to the Redmond giant, and should soon even cross the border to hit European countries, both on their governmental structures and their businesses. The Old Continent, including France, should thus expect ” several potential Russian lines of attack in the digital realm this winter “.
The objective is to reduce support for Ukraine by relying on the flaws in public opinion. Thereby, ” we must also be prepared for cyber influence operations targeting Europe to be carried out alongside cyber threat activities “.
The Sandworm group at the heart of operations
France will have to be on the alert. We have seen the concrete effects of a cyberattack with the recent offensive carried out against the Versailles hospital center which means that the reception of patients is now limited. In addition, Russia should field one of its elite units in cyber offensives: Sandworm.
The Russian hacker group is known for the dangerousness of its activities. He had already attacked the Ukrainian electricity network several times in 2014 and 2016, which made him the first perpetrator of cyberattacks causing the destruction of an electricity network. Sandworm is also the group that produced the NotPetya malware, which in 2017 sidelined several hundred companies in the West as well as banks, hospitals and airports.
Source : BleepingComputer
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