As cities in Ukraine face an invasion by Russian forces, a digital campaign may be launched to help the country defend itself.
On Wednesday, the sites of several Ukrainian banks and governmental agencies – including the foreign, defense and interior ministries – crashed.
The Internet watchdog said that the attack was consistent with recent DDoS assaults.
Ukraine has been suffering from a string of cyberattacks recently, including so-called “wiper” attacks which destroy data on computers.
Ukraine has blamed previous cyberattacks on Russia but Moscow has rejected claims of responsibility.
Cyberattacks by Russia are likely to increase following its invasion of Crimea and threats of new sanctions against Moscow, experts say.
“Sanctions against Russia could include banning U.S. financial institutions from processing transactions originating from Russian banks, which would have a demonstrable impact.”
It is realistic that these sanctions could result in retaliation from Russian state-associated cyber threats or cybercriminal groups influenced primarily by nationalist motivations.
“It’s hard to say whether these groups would retaliate against Russia.”
EU leaders agreed on Thursday to introduce new economic sanctions against Russia. More details will be discussed in upcoming days.
“We want to stop Russia from using our technology to build weapons of mass destruction.”
EU foreign policy chief José Manuel García-Margallo described the measures as “one of the most severe packages of sanctions we have ever imposed.”
Ukraine’s new president has accused his European allies of politicizing the crisis in eastern Ukraine by failing to impose tougher economic sanctions on Russia.
“You still can stop this aggression. “You have to act quickly.”
Zelenskyy has also said that cutting Russia off from the SWIFT international banking network and an oil embargo should be implemented.
Cyber support
Cyberattacks can disrupt vital services such as water supplies, banks, and national security. They fall into the categories of espionage, sabotage, and subversion.
The European Union, UK and Ukraine blamed Russian government cyberattacks for causing power outages in 2015 and 2016.## OutputThe output of this task is a list of paraphrases.
Cybersecurity has also been recognised as an important part of international aid.
After Ukraine requested assistance from the European Union (EU) to defend against cyber attacks, a newly formed team of eight to 12 EU experts has pledged to help.
Experts from countries including Croatia, Russia, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Lithuania and The Netherlands said they would help Ukraine remotely and on-the-ground in Ukraine.
What is Russian Hybrid Warfare?
Russia is known to use hybrid warfare tactics in order to achieve their political goals. This includes both military and non-military methods.
Hybrid warfare is often used when there is no clear winner between two opposing sides, or when one side is weaker than the other. It involves the use of all available means to influence the outcome of a conflict.
In 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean peninsula and annexed it. Since then, tensions have risen between Russia and the West over issues like Ukraine’s future status within Europe and NATO expansion.
Footage from inside Crimea shows how the Russian army was able to take control of the region without firing a single shot.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2014 where he outlined what he called “a full package of measures” to protect Russia’s interests in Ukraine.
He said: “I am convinced that if we work together, we will find mutually acceptable solutions to the problems facing us. We are ready to do everything possible to ensure the success of peace talks.”
This included the development of a joint information space, joint exercises and training, and the creation of a joint border guard force.
According to the US State Department, Russia continues to provide support to separatists in Eastern Ukraine.
It says Russia uses propaganda, disinformation, and social media campaigns to spread false stories about events in Ukraine.
How does Russia use cyberattacks?
Russia is believed to be behind several high profile cyberattacks. These include the NotPetya virus which affected computers around the world in June 2017.
The attack caused companies to lose millions of dollars worth of goods and disrupted global supply chains.
The WannaCry ransomware outbreak in May 2017 saw hundreds of thousands of computers infected across 150 countries.
The malware encrypted data on victims’ computers and demanded $300 (£200) in bitcoin in exchange for unlocking files.
