US warns Russia's cyber attacks on Ukraine could escalate; 'Don't underestimate'

A senior US intelligence official has warned that cyberconflict over Ukraine could escalate in the coming days. Speaking to BBC, Rob Joyce, director of cyber-security of the US National Security Agency (NSA) said that one of the prime reasons for such an escalation could be independent hackers targeting Moscow over its “unprovoked” invasion of Ukraine.

Ever since President Vladimir Putin launched his military operation on Ukraine, several attempts have been made to galvanise support in favour of Kyiv. Earlier, an anonymous hacker grabbed eyeballs after they shared a video, asking Russians to assassinate their leader.

Meanwhile, Joyce reminded US that cyber threats posed by the Russian Federation should not be underestimated. He explained that Moscow did not launch an all-out cyberattack to sabotage Ukrainian infrastructure but there has been a “sustained conflict”.  He said that the latter is a far more aggressive activity than the first and included Moscow deploying eight or nine different viruses to wipe computer systems.

On Tuesday, western countries including the US and the UK accused Russia of targeting a satellite communications provider used by the Ukrainian military. 

"This is clear and shocking evidence of a deliberate and malicious attack by Russia against Ukraine which had significant consequences on ordinary people and businesses in Ukraine and across Europe," UK foreign minister Liz Truss said. Meanwhile, accusing Kremlin of disrupting Ukraine's communication, US State Secretary Antony Blinken said, "The activity disabled very small aperture terminals in Ukraine and across Europe."

US foils Russian cyber attack

Earlier in April, the US claimed it has foiled a major cyberattack by Russian hackers before it could affect a large number of devices in the world. According to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher Wray, the FBI’s unique cyber capabilities were able to remove malware from devices used by thousands. While addressing a press conference, he announced a series of new and recent enforcement actions to disrupt and prosecute criminal Russian activity.

"We’re announcing a sophisticated, court-authorized operation disrupting a botnet of thousands of devices controlled by the Russian government—before it could do any harm," Wray said. "Yesterday’s Darknet takedown struck a blow against Russian criminals and the ecosystem of cryptocurrency tumblers, money launders, malware purveyors, and others supporting them. The botnet disruption we’re announcing today strikes a blow against Russian intelligence, the Russian government," he added. 

(Image: AP)