Posted on March 21, 2022 at 6:26 AM
Anonymous Group And Other Hacktivists Unleash Cyber Action Against Russia
It’s been more than three weeks since Russia declared war and invaded Ukraine. Apart from fears of the repercussions of the war on the European economy, there have been equal fears of suspected nation-state attacks targeting critical agencies and infrastructures.
These fears have been replaced by death destruction and heavy upheaval across Ukraine. According to a recent estimate by the United Nations, about 3.2 million people have fled Ukraine to other countries in search of a safety net, while 6.2 million people have been displaced.
As the war keeps going on security researchers hinted at what could be the first use of deepfake to misinform people during wartime. The deepfake is a robotic of Volodymyr Zelensky calling Ukrainians to surrender to Russia.
However, the Ukrainian president immediately refuted the call, saying he never made such a request to Ukrainians. Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube rushed to remove such videos from their platforms. Some of them provided guides on the best way to respond to sophisticated misinformation in the future.
Cyber War Between Russia And Ukraine Heat Up
Russia has not engaged Ukraine in any very serious cyberattack since the Ukrainian critical infrastructure was targeted in late February. However, malware utilized by Russian government hacker group Cyclops Blink, popularly known as Sandworm, has spread further than previously known.
According to the researchers at TrendMicro, the malware is very potent and invasive as it can infect Asus routers.
The Lapsus$ hacking gang is adding “chaotic energy” to the world of cybercrime. The group has targeted global brands like chipmaker Nvidia and electronics company Samsung. However, it uses a different strategy from ransomware gangs like Conti. The Lapsus$ group uses phishing attacks to extort their victims instead of the usual encrypting of data to demand ransom from victims. Although the group has claimed that its actions are not politically motivated, several security experts have faulted their motives and believe it may be their ultimate goal.
79GB Of Data Leaked From Omega Company
Meanwhile, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the Anonymous hacktivist group has made it their duty to launch their cyber attacks against Russian firms. The group claimed it breached the Omega Company, the R&D section of Russian-based Transneft, the largest oil pipeline company in the world.
On Thursday, a non-profit whistleblower organization, DDoSecrets, announced that it received a massive 79GB of data containing emails belonging to Omega. A social media representative of the Anonymous group, @YourAnonNews, also acknowledged the attack shortly after DDoSecrets announced what it received.
According to DDoSecrets, the data leaked contained the email accounts data of company employees, including sensitive files like invoices and product shipment details. The data also contains image files that indicate server racks and equipment configurations. According to the report, some of the emails were examined and believed to be as recent as March 15.
Transneft was recently added to the list of Russian companies not allowed to deal with US market investors due based on the sanctions against Russia.
The Omega in-house R&D unit produces acoustic systems and advanced temperature monitoring systems for the oil pipelines.
More Hacktivists Join The Cyber War
As Anonymous picks the Ukrainian side in the war, several other hacktivists have joined a list of online warriors to fight Russia in the cyberwar.
So, while the war is ongoing in Ukraine, there is a cyberwar between Russia and Ukraine ongoing. After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the Russian IT infrastructure is being targeted daily, including video streaming platforms, government websites, and state-run TV channels.
Last week, the Anonymous group claimed responsibility for the hacking of Roskomnadzor, a major Russian federal agency, leaking more than 360,000 files through DDoSecrets.
At the same time, the group carried out its most significant attack in Russia, when one of its affiliates stole more than 400 surveillance cameras in Russia.
After hijacking the cameras, the hacktivists defaced them with messages against President Putin In a show of solidarity with Ukraine. Another ongoing attack is being run by a recently formed hacking group known as Squad303.
The group has sent over 7 million text messages to Russians across the country, urging them to protest against the war in Ukraine. As the war continues in Ukraine, the anonymous hacking group and other hacktivists are likely going to infiltrate more Russian organizations with malware. However, there are fears of reparatory attacks from the Russian-state hackers.
