Risk of Russian Cyberattack for Australian Businesses ‘High’

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has warned that the risk of facing cyberattacks from Russia is high and has issued an advisory to businesses, government departments, and other organisations warning them to be on guard and boost their company’s security posture. ACSC said that while no current or specific threat has been identified, there is a heightened risk of a Russian-backed cyber-attack targeting Australian businesses and organisations.

ACSC issue in the Essential Eight Model, which helps businesses to increase their resilience against cyber-attacks. The model is designed to allow organisations to prioritise and implement their defenses against cyber threats.

Scott Morrison, current prime minister of Australia, said the government was confidentially informing businesses and organisations that might be at risk of Russian cyber-attacks. Morrison said the cyber threat from Russia might increase in Australia and globally, as he announced Australia would join with the US, UK, and EU to call out Russia for its aggression towards Ukraine. Australian organisations are encouraged to be vigilant and adopt appropriate cyber security practices to protect their sensitive data and systems from compromise.

He said that the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has already published the guidelines and has urged them to take steps to strengthen their cyber security to counter the cyber-attack of Russia and other actors. It provides valuable advice and guidance on how organisations can better protect themselves against these threats.

ACSC advised organisations to review their logging, detection systems, and response measures to cyber-attack. Organisations are also urged to ensure that software updates are applied for all systems and applications, particularly those known to be affected by the vulnerabilities. They should consider whether they have adequate monitoring capabilities in their network environment.

ACSC said companies should consider their ability to withstand a serious cyber incident and that they should develop a baseline understanding of the normal network activity on their systems. It is highly recommended that all businesses should have a response plan in place in the event of a cyber security incident. They should regularly review these plans, train staff on how to respond to an incident, and regularly test their effectiveness.

Organisations are encouraged to be vigilant for any suspicious or unusual activity on their networks by regularly reviewing logs, checking for unauthorised access, and ensuring appropriate security controls are in place.

Russia’s Cyber-Attacks on Ukraine in 2022

In 2022, as Russia/Ukraine conflict was escalating, the Ukrainian government reported that a series of cyberattacks had caused widespread damage to the country’s critical infrastructure.

The attacks have been described as “sophisticated,” and the damage was reportedly done by multiple viruses simultaneously. While no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, Ukraine and USA believe that Russia is to blame.

Ukraine’s government, military, and critical infrastructure have long been targeted by Russian-backed hackers. Research conducted by Check Point Research (CPR) has found an increase in cyber activity in relation to the conflict over time. It has discovered a spike in cyber-attacks, practically 196% on Ukraine’s administration and military areas within the initial three days of Russia’s full-scale intrusion into Ukraine.

The first attack of this year was launched on January 14; around 70 websites associated with the Ukrainian government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Security and Defense Council, were attacked by hackers. As a result, most of the websites became unavailable for several hours. The attack was thought to have been initiated by Russia, though Russian officials denied responsibility for the attack.

Another attack was launched on February 15, which targeted two large banks: PrivatBank and Oschadbank, leaving millions unable to access their funds by affecting ATMs and mobile apps. The attackers also targeted multiple defense ministry, army, and security service departments.

Another attack launched on February 23, 2022, was a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that caused websites to be inaccessible for several hours. The attack used a variant of HermeticWiper and destroyed data on computers at critical infrastructure facilities. The attacks crippled the computer systems at Ukrainian banks, financial, defense, aviation, and IT companies.

Russians Are Already Causing Cyber-Attacks All Over the World

Russia has long been a leader in the cyber warfare arena, with a well-established infrastructure, highly skilled personnel, and a history of conducting malicious operations. In the past few years, Russian state-sponsored groups have been implicated in hacks targeting government agencies and political parties, as well as critical infrastructure such as power grids.

Matt Warren, professor of RMIT University Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, said that Russia had caused several cyber-attacks all over the world. In 2007, Russia used a coordinated cyberattack to take down the power grid in Estonia. They’ve done the same in other countries, including Georgia, Armenia, and Ukraine, in 2014.

In a more recent attack, many experts believe that Russian hackers were behind the cyber-attack that occurred on March 1 that left Toyota unable to operate in Japan. The cyber-attack comes after Japan joined Western allies to impose economic sanctions on Russia for interfering Ukraine invasion; as Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, said earlier that if anyone tries and interfere with their country and its people, they could face grave consequences.

But now Australia involved in the sanctions is facing a serious threat from a motivated and capable adversary, further increasing the risk of being added to Russia’s cyberattack firing line.

Defense Minister of Australia Peter Dutton said that they had already seen multiple cyber-attacks on their networks and systems in the past few years. He also added that it was an issue that they were very conscious of and taking action against.

CyberCX, a cybersecurity firm in Australia, said that they had seen a number of incidents in recent weeks, from extortion-based cyber-attacks to ransomware attacks to the theft of personal information and, in some cases, the theft of intellectual property. The agency is warning businesses to take steps to protect themselves against a wave of cyber-attacks as the current trend is likely to continue if Russia/Ukraine conflict continues to escalate further.

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Ukraine_cyberattacks
• https://www.themandarin.com.au/182505-risk-of-russian-cyber-attack-for-australian-organisations-high/
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-23/cyber-agencies-warn-ukraine-cyber-attacks-from-russia/100855164
• https://www.upguard.com/blog/how-australian-businesses-can-prepare-for-a-russian-cyberattack
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2022/02/28/russia-is-suspect-in-cyberattack-that-will-force-toyota-to-shut-down-plants-in-japan/
• https://7news.com.au/news/cyber-attack/why-russias-backlash-against-australian-sanctions-could-come-in-the-form-of-cyber-attacks-c-5835470
• https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/ukraine-govt-military-sector-record-196-increase-in-cyber-attacks-amid-war-says-cpr

Written by The Original PC Doctor on 14/3/2022.