Check Point: cyber attacks? Today they are a weapon used by governments, and they are constantly growing

Cybercrime is constantly increasing and the tools and tactics used by attackers are becoming more and more sophisticated. We could thus summarize the report Check Point mid-year on trends in cybersecurity, which highlights how there has been a 42% increase in attacks globally.

The conflict in Ukraine has certainly contributed to the increase in attacks: as the Check Point researchers explain, cyberattacks are now effectively weapons in the hands of governments, and war is also fought on the cyber front, as he explains. Maya HorowitzVP Research of Check Point Software: “The war in Ukraine dominated the headlines in the first half of 2022 and we can only hope it ends peacefully soon. Its impact on cyberspace has been dramatic in both scope and scale, and this year we have seen a huge increase in cyberattacks against organizations across all industries and countries. Unfortunately, the situation will only get worse, especially with ransomware now the number one threat to organizations. However, with the right cybersecurity skills, strategies and solutions, companies can prevent attacks“.

The cyber war between Russia and Ukraine

When Russia invaded Ukraine, there were numerous APT groups that decided to join the conflict, at least as regards the battles being fought in cyberspace. Among the first to line up are the members of the Conti group, but also Killneta group of hacktivists that has repeatedly targeted the critical infrastructures of NATO member states and other countries that support Ukraine with sophisticated DDoS.

In March, the Ukrainian government said it had recorded as many as 66 attacks on critical infrastructure in a week alone. In May, however, APT28 launched a campaign of attacks on Ukrainian government entities thought to be aimed at stealing confidential and strategic information.

Complex attacks that prompted Check Point to think they were prepared months in advance. Not all, however: the report underlines that it is not clear whether all the groups suspected of being in the pay of Russia have coordinated with each other. The only certainty is that many Russian-related malevolent actors are now hitting several targets in Ukraine. often using wipersmalware that irreparably destroys the data on the hacked systems. Wipers are nothing new, but their spread peaked in February, exactly the day before the invasion of Ukraine.

It should also be emphasized that Ukraine has certainly not been passively watching and suffering. On the contrary. In a short time, new cyber experts were recruited who gave birth to the country’s IT army. A unit that coordinates via a Telegram channel. Channel that in three days was populated with 175,000 members, now more than 260,000. Here attack tools and strategies are shared, campaigns are coordinated and collaborated to protect Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

To these are added various “international” groups that have decided to take sides against Russia, including the Anonymus collective.

The future of ransomware

Ransomware has been the main tool used by cybercriminals in recent years. The possibility of obtaining millionaire ransoms has meant that many criminal groups were better structured, so as to operate as if they were in all respects companies, selecting the most appetizing targets and coordinating with the various actors. According to Check Point, however, it is likely that a different approach will be seen in the coming months, with a more fragmented ecosystem.

This is because when groups become too important it is more difficult to hide and get away with it. And some of these collectives are already feeling the pressure on them like the members of Conti, on whom there is a $ 10 million bounty.