According to a report from Microsoft published on June 22, 2022, Russia is said to have recently initiated dozens of cyber-espionage campaigns in 42 countries supporting Ukraine. The report says that these various campaigns target countries on all six continents but mainly focus on NATO countries and their close allies.
63% of cyber operations directed to NATO countries
According to Microsoft President Brad Smith, “The Russian invasion relies heavily on a cyber strategy that includes at least three separate and coordinated efforts: destructive cyberattacks inside Ukraine, penetrating and spying on networks outside the Ukraine and cyber influence operations (a form of international propaganda) targeting people around the world”. The report indicates that 63% of cyber operations conducted by Russia in recent months have targeted NATO members.
Is Web3 really decentralized?
Unsurprisingly, the United States was Russia’s main target. Microsoft also notes strong activity in Poland, a country bordering Ukraine which has notably contributed to the supply of military and humanitarian equipment. The Baltic States are also among the countries against which Russia has launched the most attacks. In its report, the American giant also highlights an increase in the targeting of networks in countries such as Finland and Sweden. Two countries that have recently applied to join NATO, as well as in Turkey, where the government has expressed its opposition to these applications.
Russia bets on cyber influence
The Redmond firm specifies that nearly half of the cyber-activities observed were aimed at governments, and 12% at non-governmental organizations advising Ukraine on foreign policy or providing humanitarian aid. Other Russian attacks were aimed at computer companies, companies in the energy sector or entities specializing in the field of defence. Most often, these attacks were repelled by the defense systems of the organizations concerned. Only 29% of identified Russian efforts have been successful.
The American giant believes that this situation requires new investments in web infrastructure. Smith points out that “The lessons to be learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are very clear: it is essential to put in place a coordinated and comprehensive strategy to strengthen defenses against all operations that countries like Russia may carry out as of war “. The report also documents how Russia uses propaganda. We remember in particular that Vladimir Putin had presented the invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation”.
Propaganda efforts aimed at bolstering Russian nationalist sentiment and portraying Ukraine’s allies as villains. According to the Microsoft report, “when carried out with patience and persistence, these cyber-influence operations make it possible to accentuate the polarization of peoples, which is a strong characteristic of the era in which we live”.