The cyberactivist group called Belarusian Cyber-Partisans claimed responsibility for the attack on January 24 via ransomware from the Belarusian national railway company. Spotted by Ars-Technicathe operation aims to hinder the arrival of Russian troops on the territory of the country in a context of high tension between Ukraine and Russia.
The hack appears genuine, but it hasn’t been independently proven
Ransomware was known as the weapon of choice for cybercriminals, the ideal cover for certain state actions, now they have been transformed into a tool for cybermilitancy.
Cyberwar: what are the impacts of Russian actions in Ukraine?
On Telegram and Twitter, the Belarusian Cyber-Partisans group explained that it had either encrypted or destroyed databases of the Belarusian railway company, used to control traffic, customs and stations. The idea is to ” disrupt its operations “. The group said it did not attack more critical systems such as the signaling system or emergency controls to avoid harming innocent people.
We have encryption keys, and we are ready to return Belarusian Railroad’s systems to normal mode. Our conditions:
? Release of the 50 political prisoners who are most in need of medical assistance.
?Preventing the presence of Russian troops on the territory of #Belarus. https://t.co/QBf0vtcNbK— Belarusian Cyber-Partisans (@cpartisans) January 24, 2022
The hack has not been officially communicated by the Belarusian government and has not been independently confirmed. Wired. However, at the time of writing, the Belarusian Railways website still informs passengers that, ” For technical reasons », a number of online services are unavailable. The fairly classic consequences of a ransomware attack.
It is listed, in Russian, the disrupted web services of the company. Credit: Century Digital
Belarusian Cyber-Partisans, a group of cyber activists established in 2020
Belarusian Cyber-Partisans is a pro-democracy gathering of around twenty IT experts created after the protests in Belarus in 2020. The movement was born against the highly contested re-election of Alexander Lukashenko and his policy of rapprochement with Russia . It had been very violently suppressed.
The hackitists promised to provide the keys to decipher databases spared against the release of 50 political prisoners, the country would have nearly 1000. He also demanded that Russian troops be prevented from entering the territory.
the Guardian reports that a Telegram group, run by people posing as railway workers, counted the passage of 33 Russian military trains in Belarus and that 200 are expected in all. The Belarusian Ministry of Defense confirmed to the washington postJanuary 24, the arrival of an unspecified number of Russian soldiers and equipment as part of a joint military exercise scheduled for February.
The place of cyberspace in the tensions between Russia and Ukraine
However, the regional context is slightly different than in previous years’ exercises. At the end of 2021 Russia had crammed 100,000 men on the borders of Ukraine. A cyberattack also blocked access to 80 Ukrainian government sites on January 14.
The Biden administration is increasing alarmist statements about a possible invasion of the country by Russia. On January 24 the families of diplomatic personnel were ordered to evacuate by the State Department. The European Union, like Ukraine, considers that the United States is dramatizing the situation, while Emmanuel Macron is to meet with Vladimir Putin on the situation on January 28.
Leave Belarus out of the conflict
The situation remains extremely hot in the region and is changing daily. The Belarusian Cyber-Partisans group does not want to take the risk of Belarus being embroiled in a war with Ukraine, with which it shares a common border.
The group is already known for its IT capabilities. The hacking of the servers of the Ministry of the Interior of Belarus has marked the spirits in the past. An operation which made it possible to recover evidence of acts of police violence and acts of torture, the identities of informants, police officers, local KGB files…
Qualified as extremist and threatened by the power, the ability to destabilize the government of Belarusian Cyber-Partisans is no longer to be proven. It is difficult to assess, for the moment, the impact of their operation on the movement of Russian troops. This action adds complexity to an explosive situation, both in the real world and in cyberspace.