Ukraine’s cybersecurity chief, Victor Zhora, has warned that Russia’s online attacks, including what he calls cyber “war crimes,” will persist long after the physical war ends unless increased international pressure is applied, Register reports.
Zhora highlighted that Russia’s danger in cyberspace will likely continue until there’s a significant political change in Russia, shifting it from an aggressor to a nation accountable for its actions.
Speaking alongside US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director Jen Easterly at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, Zhora detailed Ukraine’s experience in countering cyber threats.
He revealed that Ukraine’s defenders tackle an average of ten major cyber incidents weekly, with the country having faced 11,002 such incidents since the full-scale war began.
Zhora outlined five distinct phases of Russia’s cyber war. Starting before the ground invasion in January 2022, the first phase involved info-destroying malware targeting Ukraine’s IT infrastructure. Subsequent phases saw increased sophistication in attacks, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and attempts to disrupt critical infrastructure, telecommunications, and public-sector organizations.
Zhora also underlined the importance of holding Russia accountable for its cyberattacks, stating that Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies and researchers are pushing for war-crime charges. He emphasized that prosecuting such cyber crimes by international courts would set a precedent for deterring future cyber warfare.
Despite acknowledging challenges in bringing Kremlin-backed operatives to justice, Zhora called for new approaches to prevent cybercrime and cyberwarfare, advocating for improved international cooperation and cybersecurity measures.
