Ukraine forms an IT army to defend from cyber threats posed by Russia

March 9, 2022
Ukraine IT Army Defense Cyber Threats Russia

Ukraine has reportedly been building an IT army intending to defend its cyber territory against hackers and threat groups from Russia.

The ongoing war has also been tied with cyber-warfare, including wiper malware and DDoS attack campaigns against Ukrainian infrastructure. These unfortunate events led the government of Ukraine to form an army of cyber experts to help defend the country, which they dubbed the IT army.

Aside from defending the country from cyberattacks, Ukraine also intended to retaliate attacks towards Russia and cripple their infrastructure.

The supporters gathered for the Ukrainian IT army were given a list of 31 Russian targets, including nation-backed organisations and private sectors. Some organisations listed also include Russian government agencies, energy providers, financial institutions, and more.

An analysis was published by security researchers, revealing a 196% rise in cyberattack rates against the Ukrainian infrastructure since Russia has commenced the war in early February. For this reason, experts believe that these cyberwarfare retaliations will continue to surge, and a lot more groups will take sides between the two opposing countries as time goes.

 

Ukraine’s IT army is a new development that experts are still observing, particularly its impact on the concentrated cyberattacks that the two countries cast at one another.

 

Another angle that cybersecurity experts look at regarding the new IT army is that civilians could even join in to execute cyberattacks and hackings, which are prohibited for most countries in the world.

Despite the good intention of people to aid Ukraine in defending its territory from threats posed by Russia, many countries still consider cyberattacks illegal. Hence, joining the group could cause the volunteers to violate hacking laws from their respective territories.

Experts are also worried that if Russia observed people from foreign countries suddenly attacking their infrastructure, it might lead to bigger trouble, especially if the volunteers cannot protect themselves from Russian retaliation.

Several cybersecurity agencies worldwide, including CISA and UK’s NCSC, have gathered to publish advice for all that could be targeted and affected by cyber threats. These unpredictable times must force organisations to prepare any security defences they could arrange to defend themselves against any form of terrorisation.

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