Russia accused of launching cyberattack on Viasat communications, disrupting satellite internet services across Europe
In the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the digital battlefield has also seen a significant escalation. Authorities have accused Russia of a series of malicious cyberattacks, including distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, website defacements, and destructive wiper malware against Ukraine targets.
The cyberattacks have more than doubled since the start of the invasion, according to Ukrainian authorities. One of the most notable incidents was the attack on Feb. 24 against the KA-SAT network operated by Viasat, which disrupted operations for wind farm turbines in Europe, satellite customers in Ukraine, and fixed broadband customers in Europe.
The Viasat attack was attributed to a malware strain called AcidRain by SentinelOne researchers. AcidRain is designed to brute force its way through any embedded Linux system, such as modems, routers, and IoT devices. The malware strain is a destructive form of malware that wipes modems and routers.
The use of AcidRain against Viasat's KA-SAT modem was one of the earliest attacks in the Russian invasion, according to Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, a principal threat researcher at SentinelOne. SentinelOne researchers expect to see AcidRain used in future supply chain attacks as needed by the threat actor.
The EU and U.K. have set off a series of formal condemnations, blaming Russia for the wave of malicious attacks preceding the Ukraine invasion. The State Department, along with U.K. and EU authorities, has formally linked Russia to these cyberattacks.
The potential for spillover or more direct attacks against U.S. or NATO member countries has been cautioned about. The formal attribution will raise further questions about how the U.S. or NATO will respond to such an attack.
In response, cybersecurity authorities from the Five Eyes countries and other European nations met Tuesday in the U.K. to strategize about how to respond to the cyberthreat. U.S. and European officials had warned for months about the potential use of cyber as a means of asymmetric attack against military, government, and critical infrastructure targets in Ukraine and Western allies. The U.S. has repeatedly warned U.S. critical infrastructure providers that Russia might use cyber to retaliate for economic sanctions linked to the war effort.
As the conflict continues, the digital battlefield remains a critical front in the ongoing struggle, with both sides employing sophisticated cyberattacks to disrupt operations and gain an advantage.
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