In 2022, Ukraine has already been hit by malware aimed at wiping out important data. In fact, this year has so far seen Ukraine suffering from over 150 cyberattacks that include hackers disrupting about 70 government websites.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) called for a “shields up” alert, recommending all organizations to carry out a heightened cybersecurity posture.
In March alone, the world encountered more than 6 billion potential cyberattacks within a single 24-hour period. Russia and Ukraine were some of the most targeted countries, although the war with Ukraine is most likely serving as a testing ground for Russia’s latest cyber weapons.
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Unfortunately, Ukraine’s limited resources to initiate a counter-attack make it a good testing ground even with its similar tech infrastructure to Western Europe and the U.S.
In general, cyberattacks have significantly increased throughout the years. The “NotPetya” attack on Ukraine in 2017 actually wiped out computers belonging to the business, financial, and power grid sectors.
In order to increase Ukraine’s cyber defenses, the U.S. and E.U. have provided added support, but it’s predicted that cyberattacks will still occur outside of the country. As a result, some supporters of Ukraine have attached websites in Russia in order to create internal chaos.
The Threat Of A State-Sponsored Cyber War
Many tech execs within the U.S. believe that state-sponsored cyber warfare is one of the country’s biggest threats and for good reason. The increased use of cyber assets with physical ones is bringing greater risk to security.
The COVID-19 pandemic has additionally heightened the potential for damage from cyberthreats with more people moving information to the cloud and working remotely with less secure home networks and personal devices.
A cyberattack today could involve the shutdown of electrical grids as well as the destruction of important technology such as steel mills, gas pipelines, and centrifuges. If a serious cyber war occurs, destruction on the scale of a natural disaster could occur.
This can involve widespread damage caused by burst pipes, multiple deaths, and loss of essential electricity, food sources, and water access.
Although 70% of people believe the U.S. is one of the most secure countries against cyber war attacks, cyberattacks can still pose a significant threat as 90% of them are distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
This means these attacks aim to make essential resources unavailable to people, such as running water, fresh food, and financial services. Many people in America have already started making preparations by backing up crucial documents as well as electronic devices and creating cash reserves.
Now is a better time than any to build a strong cyber defense.
Infographic source: Security Degree Hub
