Hackers are also involved in the Ukraine crisis, and according to the latest reports, the Anonymous collective is targeting the Russian government websites, among others. Chester Wisniewski, Principal Security Scientist at Sophos, comments on recent actions and plans.
“Anonymous is less a group than an idea. Historically, it inspired people to exercise vigilance on behalf of the wronged and oppressed. Therefore, whenever there are signs of success against the “dark side”, followers are ready to give credit for such actions, be it a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, a newly created data leak or the account hack of someone they think is the bad guy.
Suddenly there are good and bad sides
What is unusual about the situation in Ukraine is that the Deputy Prime Minister (https://twitter.com/FedorovMykhailo/status/1497642156076511233) and a Senior Advisor to the EU Parliament (https://twitter.com/AlexandreKrausz/status/1498073278623141894 ) have both condoned this behavior and asked that this activity take place outside of the normal legal framework. This is an unprecedented situation and is literally a gold-embossed, red-carpet invitation urging Anonymous to return.
Actions provoke counter-reactions
From this situation there is a risk of escalation. Indirect support for such activities may seem like a good idea, but if it encourages or spurs Russian-based hacking groups to decide to retaliate against Western entities, it could result in billions of dollars in damage to infrastructure, businesses, and government bodies. So far, according to our observations, most Russian cybercriminals have continued their business as usual, with no signs of escalation or increased attacks on critical infrastructures. But that could easily change, especially when it comes to cybercriminals supported by the Russian state.”
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