Russian hackers are preparing for a new wave of cyberattacks against Ukraine and its Western partners, Reuters says, citing a Microsoft report.
Since January 2023, Russian cyber groups have been adjusting their activities to boost destructive and intelligence gathering capacity on Ukraine and its partners’ civilian and military assets.
The report also notes that a particularly active Russian hacking team, known as Sandworm, was testing “additional ransomware-style capabilities that could be used in attacks outside Ukraine.”
Microsoft said that since January 2022, it had discovered at least nine different wipers and two types of ransomware variants used against more than 100 Ukrainian organizations.
"In nations throughout the Americas and Europe, especially Ukraine’s neighbours, Russian threat actors have sought access to government and commercial organizations involved in efforts to support Ukraine," the report says.
According to Google, the number of cyberattacks by Russian hackers on Ukrainian users increased by 250% last year.