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Microsoft has warned that cyberattacks sponsored by Russia will continue to target Ukrainian infrastructure and NATO allies in Europe throughout the winter.
A report by Redmond published over the weekend indicated that it has observed a pattern of targeted attacks on infrastructure in Ukraine associated with the Russian military intelligence group Sandworm and missile strikes.
Ukraine is the victim of a propaganda campaign to undermine international support (from the U.S., EU, and NATO), which is too compelling.
Russia’s propaganda has gone so far as to undermine European support for Ukraine to stop weapons and aid from being sent.
These attacks are expected to continue and will likely extend beyond Ukraine’s borders to target countries and companies that provide vital supplies.
Microsoft predicts that Russia might launch several cyberattacks on Europe this winter and advises the countries to be prepared for anything.
“Recent trends show that the world should be prepared for Russian threats in the digital world this winter,” said the company.
Russia hopes to exploit cracks in popular support for Ukraine to weaken it. They want to make it harder for Ukraine’s allies to get supplies of food and weapons so the people can’t fight back.
“We should also be aware that in addition to cyber threats, cyber-enabled influence operations targeting Europe could be conducted in parallel.”
Sandworm is a group of elite Russian hackers that have been active for at least two decades, previously linked to malicious campaigns such as the Ukrainian blackouts of 201-2016 and KillDisk wiper attacks targeting Ukrainian banks. We had even seen them use NotPetya ransomware in 2018.
Russia’s Latest Cyber Attacks Target Ukraine And NATO Allies
After Microsoft warned that Russian intelligence had increased cyberattacks against governments helping Ukraine, the company found a new report detailing that these attacks have also been used to target entities in dozens of countries worldwide.
Surprisingly, most attacks were directed toward countries that are crucial members of the NATO alliance in western responses to Russia’s war.
Recent ransomware attacks targeting Ukraine and other countries have been linked to the Sandworm Russian military hackers.
In early December, Slovak software company ESET discovered a wave of ransomware attacks. They dubbed it RansomBoggs and said it was found on Ukrainian networks.
Microsoft also said Sandworm was behind the ransomware attacks in Ukraine and Poland that targeted supply chain providers. In addition, the Prestige ransomware has targeted transportation and logistics companies since October.
In late March, the Google Threat Analysis Group observed phishing attacks coordinated by a Russian-based threat group on NATO and European military entities.
Another Google Tag report in March revealed more evidence of malicious activity from Russian hackers linked to their war in Ukraine. The information relates Russian, Chinese, and Belarusian state hackers with efforts to compromise Ukrainian and European organizations and government officials.
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Gabriella is the Social Media Manager and Cybersecurity Communications Officer at Heimdal®, where she orchestrates the strategy and content creation for the company's social media channels. Her contributions amplify the brand's voice and foster a strong, engaging online community. Outside work, you can find her exploring the outdoors with her dog.
