One of the world’s most ruthless and advanced hacking groups, the Russian state-controlled Sandworm, launched a series of destructive cyberattacks in the country’s ongoing war against neighboring Ukraine, researchers reported Thursday.
In April, the group targeted a Ukrainian university with two wipers, a form of malware that aims to permanently destroy sensitive data and often the infrastructure storing it. One wiper, tracked under the name Sting, targeted fleets of Windows computers by scheduling a task named DavaniGulyashaSdeshka, a phrase derived from Russian slang that loosely translates to “eat some goulash,” researchers from ESET said. The other wiper is tracked as Zerlot.
A not-so-common target
Then, in June and September, Sandworm unleashed multiple wiper variants against a host of Ukrainian critical infrastructure targets, including organizations active in government, energy, and logistics. The targets have long been in the crosshairs of Russian hackers. There was, however, a fourth, less common target—organizations in Ukraine’s grain industry.
This post sheds light on a critical and concerning issue in cyber warfare. It’s alarming to see how advanced hacking groups can impact nations and their security. Thank you for highlighting this important topic.
the tactics of groups like Sandworm can have such widespread impacts. It’s interesting to note that the use of cyber attacks in modern conflicts adds a new layer of complexity to traditional warfare, affecting not just military targets but also civilian infrastructure.
the evolution of their techniques often sets trends for other hacking groups globally. This highlights how cyber warfare not only affects the immediate target but can also influence the broader landscape of cybersecurity practices and defenses worldwide.