Microsoft has issued a warning to European nations to be on the lookout for Russian Cyber Attack this winter, just as several Russian organizations, including the nation’s second-largest bank, have been targeted.
The government-controlled VTB Financial Institution in St. Petersburg stated on Tuesday that it was experiencing a “unprecedented cyber attack from overseas” and that the DDoS flood was the biggest in the history of the bank.
The bank said in a statement made available to Russian media that. “An analysis of the DDoS attack reveals that it was organized and large-scale.” Its goal is to make consumers of the bank unhappy by impeding the provision of banking services.
While “most” of the network flooding traffic emanated from “foreign portions of the internet.” Some of it, the bank said, was “of special concern” because it came from Russian IP addresses.
VTB stated, “We can not discount the possibility that some of these Russian addresses may be participating in the assault as a result of cyber fraud. “All discovered Russian IP addresses will be provided to law enforcement agencies for verification. As planning and taking part in a DDoS both assault and homicide are against the law.,” the statement reads.
A White House cybersecurity official meeting with her European counterparts. On Wednesday warned that Russia may use cyberattacks to further invade and destabilize Ukraine.
In order to address the possibility of a Russian Cyber Attack on Ukraine, Anne Neuberger. The U.S. senior national security adviser for cyberspace and emerging technologies. Met with representatives of the European Union and Alliance in Brussels.
Virtual press conference, Neuberger stated, “We have been warning about prospective assaults for several months, both and privately.
In the past ten years, including before in Ukraine. “The Russians have employed cyber as a vital element of their force projection,” Neuberger stated.
More than 100,000 Russian soldiers have gathered around the Ukrainian border, raising fears of conflict. Even while Russia claims it has no plans to invade. It is demanding broad security assurances, such as a guarantee that NATO would never include Ukraine.
Neuberger’s visit follows a significant cyberattack on government websites. That began in mid-January and left several pages unavailable, forcing Kyiv to launch an inquiry.
Microsoft has been a close partner to Ukraine during this escalating conflict as shown by their recent commitment to extend technology support for the country through June 2023 valued at roughly $100 million. Together they collect intelligence from the battlefield vital to businesses and organizations that could potentially be targeted in winter months ahead as retaliation for providing assistance to Ukraine and its operations.
While cyber efforts at the beginning of the conflict were primarily aimed at Ukrainian infrastructure, we’re now seeing destructive efforts expand to Poland where transportation and logistics industries were recently the target of a ransomware attack noted after its ransom note, “Prestige ransomware.” With this change in the war, it’s potentially signaling what’s to come. If this was in the land, air and space domain we would expect kinetic attacks. However, we are living in a digital age where cyber warfare can be just as crippling when aimed at supply chains, critical infrastructure, and battlefield logistics. With Russia now cut off, they will need to plug holes, resulting in increased attacks on businesses and rising acts of espionage.
Companies need to remain vigilant throughout the remainder of the year, a time when staff is limited, cyber attacks surge and remote work environments continue to challenge IT teams. The practice of good cyber hygiene – patching, vulnerability management, asset discovery – is vital for their protection and business continuity.