On Friday, the White House suspected Russia of being behind recent cyberattacks on Ukraine's defense department and banking institutions.
The statement by Anne Neuberger, the White House's top cyber official, was the most precise attribution of culpability for the cyber breaches which have occurred as tensions between Russia and Ukraine have risen. Although the attacks this week had a "limited impact" since Ukrainian officials were able to swiftly restore its networks, Neuberger believes hackers were laying the framework for future devastating invasions.
As tensions between Russia and Ukraine rise, Britain has joined the United States in criticizing the GRU military intelligence agency for the widespread denial-of-service attacks. The strike, according to the British Foreign Office, "showed a persistent disdain for Ukrainian integrity." This is just another example of Russia's aggressive behavior toward Ukraine."
Russians may also be laying the foundations for more disruptive measures in the event of a Ukrainian invasion. Neuberger remarked, "We expect more destabilizing or damaging cyber action if Russia decides to continue its invasion of Ukraine, and we're working closely with friends and partners to guarantee to be prepared to call out the behavior and respond."
The United States was publicly criticizing Russia because it needed to "call out the action swiftly." "The international community must be ready to expose harmful cyber operations and hold actors accountable for any disruptive or damaging cybersecurity threats," Neuberger added.
The widespread breach of service attacks on Tuesday was described by Ukrainian officials as the deadliest in the country's history. However, while these certainly affected internet banking, hampered some government-to-public interactions, and were definitely intended to induce fear. "Typical DDoS attacks survive because the defenders are untrained," said Roland Dobbins, DDoS engineer at cybersecurity organization Netscout, adding that the most market mitigation technologies designed to resist such attacks are ineffective.
