Microsoft says Russia is preparing a new cyber assault against Ukraine
Russian hackers appear to be preparing a renewed wave of cyber attacks against Ukraine, including a "ransomware-style" threat to organizations serving Ukraine's supply lines. A research report by Microsoft said so on March 15, Reuters reports.
The report, authored by the tech giant’s cyber security research and analysis team, said that one hacker group “appears to be preparing for a renewed destructive campaign.”
“Since January 2023, Microsoft has observed Russian cyber threat activity adjusting to boost destructive and intelligence gathering capacity on Ukraine and its partners’ civilian and military assets,” the report reads.
Microsoft found that a particularly sophisticated Russian hacking team, known within the cyber security research community as Sandworm, was testing “additional ransomware-style capabilities that could be used in destructive attacks on organizations outside Ukraine that serve key functions in Ukraine’s supply lines.”
A ransomware attack typically involves hackers penetrating an organization, encrypting their data and extorting them for payment to regain access. Historically, ransomware has also been used as cover for more malicious cyber activity, including so-called wipers that simply destroy data.
Since January 2022, Microsoft said it had discovered at least nine different wipers and two types of ransomware variants used against more than 100 Ukrainian organizations.
These developments have been paired with a growth in more stealthy Russian cyber operations designed to directly compromise organizations in countries allied to Ukraine, according to the report.
"In nations throughout the Americas and Europe, especially Ukraine’s neighbors, Russian threat actors have sought access to government and commercial organizations involved in efforts to support Ukraine," said Clint Watts, general manager for Microsoft's Digital Threat Analysis Center.
As IMI reported, on November 10, Microsoft said that hackers linked to Russia's military were very likely behind this October's ransomware attacks on Ukrainian and Polish transportation and logistics organizations.
In 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine neutralized over 4,500 cyber attacks and cyber incidents.
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