No indications that Belgian financial sector is in the crosshairs of Russian hackers | Tech

The three hacker groups recently threatened to carry out a major attack on the banking system in Europe in the coming days. In a message, the collectives stated that the attack is in retaliation for the West’s support for Ukraine. According to the CBB, the entire sector remains vigilant. “It goes without saying that we take this threat seriously,” said spokesperson Katrien Eggers.

“KillNet, REvil and Anonymous Sudan are three well-known hacker groups,” says Eggers. “We have collected all information about the working methods of these groups and the so-called indicators of compromise (IOCs) and provided them to the cybersecurity experts within the financial sector. Our services continue to conduct further research and will provide additional information.”

However, there is no panic, says the CCB, which maintains close contacts with the “high value” targets (the banks, ed.) to evaluate the situation. “The various partners in this sector have strong basic security and are prepared for any attacks,” said Eggers.

Killnet is known for DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks on government departments and businesses in the West, in support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The group has been active since March 2022. REvil is known for ransomware attacks and the group is said to support the Russian regime. They have been inactive for a long time, but recently activity has been observed again.

In the meantime, the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium would also receive a lot of calls from concerned citizens. If the announced attack succeeds, it could become more difficult to withdraw or transfer money. It is generally assumed that banks are very well protected against hackers. Watch out, don’t panic, say experts.