Feb 25, 2022 15:00:00

Ukraine recruits hackers to protect critical infrastructure and spy missions to Russian troops

Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and not only eastern Ukraine, which borders Russia, but also various parts of Ukraine such as Kiev, the capital, and Odessa along the Black Sea, are being attacked by Russian troops. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government is looking for 'volunteer hackers to protect critical infrastructure from Russian troops and engage in espionage,' Reuters reported.

EXCLUSIVE Ukraine calls on hacker underground to defend against Russia | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/exclusive-ukraine-calls-hacker-underground-defend-against-russia-2022-02-24/

On February 24, when Russian troops began their military invasion of Ukraine, it was reported that Ukrainian government websites and banks were under heavy DDoS attacks. In addition, cyber attacks against Ukraine have also occurred, such as the infection of hundreds of machines deployed in Ukraine with data wiper-type malware called 'Hermetic Wiper'. Russia has denied allegations of being involved in a series of attacks.

DDoS attack on Ukrainian government site and new malware discovering data deletion on hundreds of Ukrainian machines-GIGAZINE

Meanwhile, a message was posted on the Hacker Forum, saying, 'Ukraine's cyber community! Now is the time to engage in national cyber defense', recruiting volunteer hackers to support Ukraine. The message asked hackers and cybersecurity experts to submit applications via Google Docs, list specialized references such as malware development, and more.

One of the people involved in posting this message is Yegor Aushev, co-founder of Kiev's cybersecurity company Cyber Unit Technologies . Cyber Unit Technologies has long worked with the Ukrainian government on the defense of critical infrastructure, and Aushev told Reuters that this message was also requested by a senior Ukrainian Ministry of Defense official. Another person who was also involved in posting the message admitted to Reuters that he was contacted by the Defense Ministry on the morning of the 24th.

A representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense did not respond to Reuters' inquiries, and the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, DC declined further comments, saying that 'information from the Telegram channel cannot be confirmed.'

According to Aushev, volunteer hackers are divided into 'defense units' and 'attack units'. Defense units are engaged in activities to protect infrastructure such as power plants and water services, and attack units are engaged in digital spy activities against Russian troops. Aushev argues that it is important to know what the Russian army is doing, as Russian troops have already invaded Ukraine.

According to Aushev, hundreds of hackers volunteered to cooperate on the night of the 24th, and will start checking whether Russian operatives are among the collaborators in the future. ... apparently ...