Russia has invaded Ukraine, and now U.S officials are warning business leaders that cyber-attacks from Russia might increase following the invasion.
“The U.S. Department of Justice said as much last week, warning business leaders that they would be foolish not to harden their security postures as tensions mounted. With that tension turned into all-out war it’s an even better time to think about how to stay safe against potential attacks.” (Tech Republic).
Cyber-security leaders are urging U.S companies to prepare for inevitable cyber-attacks.
“Whenever there is a conflict related to Russia, you should expect to see force applied on the cyber domain as well because it creates disorientation, lack of trust, and fear,” said Ariel Parnes, COO and cofounder of cybersecurity company Mitiga. Parnes also warned that cyberattacks can be used to dissuade Ukraine’s allies from supporting them, so keep that in mind if the conflict grows and begins to involve U.S. forces.” (Tech Republic).
The internet has become a battlefield in modern times, and the FBI is warning that the U.S could be targeted through the internet as a result of this conflict.
“Jeffery Stutzman, CEO of New Hampshire-based cybersecurity company Trusted Internet, said Granite Staters should watch out. ‘Cyber is a lot of things, right, it's information, it's psychological,’ Stutzman said. ‘The Russians want to use the internet. They want to use it to collect intelligence.’” (WMUR).
Banks are often targeted through cyber-attacks, and it is likely that Russia will target U.S banks similar to how they have since 2014.
“Stutzman said he has tracked cyberattacks since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. He said many attacks target banks, with customers unable to use ATMs or mobile banking. ‘Because of the sanctions, we've got some stuff coming back at us pretty soon, and I think we should be prepared for that,’ Stutzman said.” (WMUR).
The cyber conflict is inevitable according to officials.
“Scott Kanry, CEO at cyber risk management company Axio, said there’s absolutely no question that U.S.-based organizations will see an increase in cyberattacks due to the conflict. Kanry said we don’t need to look back very far to see an example of the potential havoc state-sponsored cyberattacks can inflict: The Colonial Pipeline attack.” (Tech Republic).
There will likely be a variety of attacks, so prepare for attacks in all sectors. No one is safe, as small businesses, schools, and hospitals could all also be targeted.
“Kanry said that we’re likely to see attacks like DDoS, phishing, activation of persistent malware and more across the 16 critical infrastructure sectors; potentially all the way down to small but vital local organizations. “We should also be paying attention to the other organizations that are critical to a functioning society, like hospitals, schools, health clinics and local banks. Often the smallest organizations lack even basic cyber defenses which make them vulnerable to an attack,” Kanry said.” (Tech Republic).
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Sources:
Tech Republic. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-will-affect-your-cybersecurity/
