Hackers shift towards taking advantage of other governments focused on Russia-Ukraine war

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, a cyberattack update on the war has revealed that In the first three days of combat, cyberattacks on Ukraine’s government and military sector increased by a staggering 196%.

Since then, cyberattacks on Ukraine’s government and military sector decreased, dropping 50% in the last 7 days

Check Point Research (CPR) provided the update on cyberattacks observed throughout the Russia-Ukraine war.

CPR said it suspects that hackers have made a shift towards taking advantage of other governments focused on the conflict.

“In Europe, the average weekly attacks per organization last week stood at 1068, 14% higher than before the beginning of the conflict and 15% higher than the first 2 weeks of the conflict, while in Africa, the average weekly attacks per organization last week stood at 1987, 2% lower than before the beginning of the conflict and 1% lower than the first 2 weeks of the conflict.”

 The research also revealed that in Ukraine there was a 20% increase in overall cyberattacks on all industries since the beginning of the conflict, while Russia recorded a 1% increase in overall cyberattacks on all industries.

CPR said when focusing on the government and military sector, it saw a significant increase in attacks within Ukraine in the first few days of the conflict while the past week displayed lower amounts in Ukraine, compared to the first two weeks (59% less).

“It appears that hackers in the beginning had a very big focus on the conflict, and after two weeks they’ve understood what they can and cannot do. In other words, hackers have resumed to ‘normal business’. Also, we see a focused effort on attacking government/military targets, possibly part of diplomatic impact surrounding the war, and also taking advantage of higher interest which allows pulling off phishing attacks.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will deliver a virtual address to Congress on Wednesday as lawmakers bid to rachet up pressure on the White House to take a tougher line over Russia’s invasion.

The appeal comes with both sides launching a fresh round of talks amid deadly air strikes in the capital Kyiv, nearly three weeks after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack.

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