Even as not a single massive cyber attack has been linked to Russia, Director of National Security Agency has pointed out that attacks have been ongoing. In an interview with the BBC, Rob Joyce, director of cyber-security at the National Security Agency, said that while a single massive attack hasn’t taken place, there has been a “sustained conflict” in the cyber realm.
So far, this has included Russia deploying eight or nine different viruses to wipe computer systems, Joyce said. Robert E. Joyce is an American cybersecurity official who served as special assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator on the U.S. National Security Council. On Tuesday, the US, UK and EU accused it of targeting a satellite communications provider used by the Ukrainian military – an attack that also affected other customers in Europe, according to reports.
“Our worry is that it’s a decision point. When that decision point happens, there certainly is capability to come after some of that [Western] infrastructure.” Joyce added that US officials are concerned that Russia could increasingly turn to cyber-attacks as its campaign in Ukraine falters and sanctions bite on its economy.
Back in February, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated, both countries indulged in cyber attacks.
“Today, websites of a number of government and banking institutions have undergone a massive DDoS attack again. Some of the attacked information systems are not available or work intermittently. This is due to switching traffic to another provider to minimise damage. Other websites effectively resist the attack and work normally,” the government institution had said.
On the other hand, hackers from the Anonymous Group have hacked the websites of the Kremlin, the Foreign Ministry, RT News, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia and the Ministry of Defense.
