Russia hones its creativity in cyberspace, US warns

Russia’s cyber operations against Ukraine may not have had as big an impact as some Western officials and cybersecurity experts feared at the start of the invasion last year, but senior US officials caution there is no reason to underestimate the abilities of Moscow.

On the contrary, these officials ensure that the Warriors Russian cybercriminals continue to be actively engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with Ukraine, learning from each attack and possibly preparing for expand your operations beyond the borders of Ukraine.

“In cybernetics, I think people have really underestimated what they’ve brought to the table, whether it’s the hack Viasat or nine or 10 different families of new and unique cleanup viruses that have been released into that ecosystem,” Rob Joyce, director of cybersecurity for the National Security Agency, said Tuesday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS , for its acronym in English) in Washington.

“There are continuous attacks on the interests of Ukraine, whether they are financial, governmental, personal, individual, commercial, just trying to be disruptive,” he added.

‘It’s a constant fight’

Joyce is not alone in his assessment of the continuing dangers of Russia’s cyber operations.

“We haven’t really seen any slowdown,” a senior defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity late last month during a briefing for the Defense Writers Group in Washington.

“It is a constant struggle between what the adversary is trying to do [Rusia] and what the defenders of the Ukrainian network are trying to do,” the official said. “We see and have shared information with us about efforts to continue to compromise various Ukrainian networks from the MoD. [Ministerio de Defensa] to critical infrastructure.

Weeks earlier, National Security Agency (NSA) Director General Paul Nakasone told lawmakers that Moscow’s cyber activities against Ukraine remain under intense scrutiny.

Ukrainian officials also expressed increased concern, noting that the pace of Russian cyberattacks has been increasing, even as Moscow works to better coordinate cyber operations with conventional military attacks.

The NSA’s Joyce agreed on Tuesday that Russia’s trade appears to be improving. “Creative things are happening,” she told the audience during a panel.

“We are seeing Russian hackers log into public web cameras to view convoys and trains delivering aid,” Joyce said. “But they’re also hacking into those webcams where…they’re looking through the cafeteria security camera and seeing the road they need to see.”

Joyce also warned that Russia’s cyber operations have targeted American companies as well.

“Most of the pressure is on the defense industrial base and the logistics transport companies that are moving lethal aid. [a Ucrania]”, said. “They are under daily pressure from the Russians.”

China cyber operations

Joyce also expressed herconcern about cyber capabilities China’s ever-expanding

“Yes, there is a tremendous amount of loud, unsophisticated Chinese threat, but there are also elite units that have tools and trades that are very sophisticated,” he said. “That’s the concern, since they can scale up and use that elite set. of concepts and tools into a much larger piece.”

As for how that might play out if China decides to invade Taiwan, Joyce encouraged private sector companies to start preparing now.

“You don’t want to start that planning the week before an invasion when you start to see the White House saying it’s coming,” he said.

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