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posted by janrinok on Saturday January 22 2022, @09:47AM   Printer-friendly

How a Russian cyberwar in Ukraine could ripple out globally:

The knock-on effects for the rest of the world might not be limited to  intentional reprisals by Russian operatives. Unlike old-fashioned war, cyberwar is not confined by borders and can more easily spiral out of control.

Ukraine has been on the receiving end of aggressive Russian cyber operations for the last decade and has suffered invasion and military intervention from Moscow since 2014. In 2015 and 2016, Russian hackers attacked Ukraine's power grid and turned out the lights in the capital city of Kyiv— unparalleled acts that haven't been carried out anywhere else before or since.

The 2017 NotPetya cyberattack, once again ordered by Moscow, was directed initially at Ukrainian private companies before it spilled over and destroyed systems around the world.

NotPetya masqueraded as ransomware, but in fact it was a purely destructive and highly viral piece of code. The destructive malware seen in Ukraine last week, now known as WhisperGate, also pretended to be ransomware while aiming to destroy key data that renders machines inoperable. Experts say WhisperGate is "reminiscent" of NotPetya, down to the technical processes that achieve destruction, but that there are notable differences. For one, WhisperGate is less sophisticated and is not designed to spread rapidly in the same way. Russia has denied involvement, and no definitive link points to Moscow.

NotPetya incapacitated shipping ports and left several giant multinational corporations and government agencies unable to function. Almost anyone who did business with Ukraine was affected because the Russians secretly poisoned software used by everyone who pays taxes or does business in the country.

The White House said the attack caused more than $10 billion in global damage and deemed it "the most destructive and costly cyberattack in history."

There can be no 'winners' - but are we even ready to defend ourselves against a cyberwar?

Previously:
(2019-02-18) Cyber Insurance claims NotPetya was an act of war
(2017-07-11) Original Petya Master Decryption Key Released


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Username on Saturday January 22 2022, @04:02PM (3 children)

    by Username (4557) on Saturday January 22 2022, @04:02PM (#1214800)

    I guess because nobody in the United States put Hunter on their board. The Brandons just don't have allegiance to this land.

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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 22 2022, @07:03PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 22 2022, @07:03PM (#1214843)

    [Beau] Biden joined the military in 2003 and attended The JAG School at the University of Virginia[18] as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard. He attained the rank of major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps as part of the 261st Signal Brigade in Smyrna, Delaware.[19][20]

    Biden's unit was activated to deploy to Iraq on October 3, 2008, and sent to Fort Bliss, Texas, for pre-deployment training,[21] the day after his father participated in the 2008 presidential campaign's only vice presidential debate. His father was on the record as saying, "I don't want him going. But I tell you what, I don't want my grandson or my granddaughters going back in 15 years, and so how we leave makes a big difference."[22]

    Biden traveled to Washington, D.C., from Iraq in January 2009 for the presidential inauguration and his father's swearing-in as vice president,[23] then returned to Iraq.[24] Biden received a visit at Camp Victory from his father on July 4, 2009.[25]

    Biden returned from Iraq in September 2009 after completing his yearlong stint on active duty.[26] Biden had announced during his deployment that he would continue to actively serve as Delaware's Attorney General by working in conjunction with his office's senior staff in Delaware,[27] although a member of his unit related Biden saying he had turned over most of his attorney general work to his deputy so as to focus on his duties in Iraq.[28]

    For his service in Iraq, Biden was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.[29] After Biden's death, Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno delivered the eulogy at his funeral and presented a posthumous Legion of Merit for his service in the Delaware National Guard, stating "Beau Biden possessed the traits I have witnessed in only the greatest leaders."[30] He was also posthumously presented with the Delaware Conspicuous Service Cross, which is "awarded for heroism, meritorious service and outstanding achievement".[31]

    • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 22 2022, @08:43PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 22 2022, @08:43PM (#1214864)

      I forget, when did Junior, Eric and Ivanka serve in the military?

      • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 23 2022, @12:21AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 23 2022, @12:21AM (#1214890)

        What do you mean? They have made a lot of sacrifices, worked very, very hard. Created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures.