Russian hackers slammed Ukraine last year with ‘near-constant digital attack’, Google says
- Google’s Threat Analysis Group said Russian government-backed attackers increased attempted hacks on Ukrainian users last year by 250 per cent
- Attacks have also come from ‘Curious George’, a group Google’s TAG attributes to the Chinese military
Russian state-sponsored hackers have inundated Ukrainian targets with a “near-constant digital attack” in the year since the invasion, Google said in a new report.
In the report released on Thursday ahead of the Munich Security Conference, Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) said Russian government-backed attackers increased their attempted hacks on Ukrainian users last year by 250 per cent compared to 2020. The company used that year as a baseline because there was an increase in attacks in the run-up to the war.
Ukraine’s ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and the National Agency for Service were among the top targets last year, Google said.
The US and UK previously blamed Russia for a cyberattack on a satellite network that resulted in communication blackouts for parts of Ukraine before the war. Ukrainian officials also said that malicious cyber activity represents one aspect of hybrid warfare that’s intended to destabilise Ukraine.
Hackers also have increased their focus on members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, particularly Poland, Germany and the Baltic states, Google said. In 2023, Google said, it expects Moscow to step up attacks not only on Ukraine but also on Nato partners.