Canada could be among select targets of a predicted cyber-attack by Russia..The governments of the US, Canada and the UK jointly warned on Wednesday of a potential threat of increased malicious cyber-activity by Russia targeting the critical infrastructure of countries supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia..They suggested Russian plans to launch the attacks would be a response to sanctions imposed on the nation as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine..The members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing community — the US, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — said Russia could use existing hacking groups to launch attacks on governments, organizations, and businesses..“Evolving intelligence indicates the Russian government is exploring options for potential cyber-attacks,” representatives said in an official cyber-threat alert..“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could expose organizations both within and beyond the region to increased malicious cyberactivity. This activity may occur as a response to the unprecedented economic costs imposed on Russia as well as materiel support provided by the United States and US allies and partners,” it said..In addition, the source said, “some cybercrime groups have recently publicly pledged support for the Russian government. Some groups have also threatened to conduct cyber-operations against countries and organizations providing materiel support to Ukraine,” it said..Washington stated since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February that a portion of its campaign might involve significant cyber-attacks against Kyiv and its Western supporters — the target supporter base would presumably include Canada..So far, these threats have yet to materialize in any meaningful way..Moscow withdrew troops from northern Ukraine recently where they failed to take control of Kyiv. Warnings have escalated about possible cyberattacks against NATO allies supplying the Ukraine with military hardware and increasing sanctions on Russia..The alert identified in excess of a dozen hacking groups, both parts of Russian intelligence and military groups and privately operated, which present threats..Wednesday’s warning said Russian state-sponsored hackers have the ability to compromise computer networks, to take vast amounts of data from them while escaping undetected to deploy aggressive and hostile malware, and to disable networks with “distributed denial of service” attacks..It warned infrastructure could be particularly vulnerable to cyber-attack in countries Moscow might want to retaliate against..“US, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and UK cybersecurity authorities urge critical infrastructure network defenders to prepare for and mitigate potential cyber threats — including destructive malware, ransomware, DDoS attacks, and cyber-espionage — by hardening their cyber-defences and performing due diligence in identifying indicators of malicious activity,” the alert said..Amanda Brown is a reporter with the Western Standard.,abrown@westernstandard.news,.Twitter: @WS_JournoAmanda
