Recently, officials in New York announced that the “Empire State” is facing an “increased risk” of a cyberattack from pro-Russian groups, and agents in New York City have reported that there has been a marked rise in breech attempts, as tensions have risen following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The United States and other nations have leveled a record number of sanctions on Moscow, which has responded that it is under an economic attack from the west. Cybersecurity experts are now warning that Russian operatives and hackers in Russia could respond with attacks from cyberspace.
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand met with New York City and NYPD officials to discuss efforts to heighten security, even as the city reported finding no credible threats.
“Russia’s military attack on Ukraine’s cities and buildings have happened in conjunction with cyberattacks waged on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure – from its banks, to departments of government,” Gillibrand told reporters at NYPD headquarters in Manhattan.
“And there’s no guarantee that those attacks will be limited to Ukraine,” she added. “Following the sanctions that the U.S. and our allies have levied on Russia, there’s an increased risk that Russia will carry out retaliatory cyberattacks, particularly against New York state infrastructure and individuals.”
The Big Apple Ready to Byte Back
New York City could be considered to have a big target on it, as it remains the financial capital of the United States, and is home to multiple corporations. Memories of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks remain ever-present in the Big Apple, but it was argued that keeping the city on a constant state of alert proved ineffective in the long term.
That fact makes this ultra-high alert all the more notable.
“We see threats pop up periodically, those specifically associated to this heightened sense we’ve seen an uptick, but we’re not aware of any campaign that’s explicitly targeting the city itself,” warned New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser.
It isn’t just New York City that could be in the crosshairs either. The Federal Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency also issued a warning that while there aren’t any specific, credible, cyber threats, it still encouraged all organizations to take steps now to improve their cybersecurity and safeguard their critical assets.
Sound Advice to Credible Threats
The war in Ukraine hasn’t likely gone as planned for Moscow, which may have expected a quick victory. Russian forces have met fierce resistance on the battlefield, and are now are being pounded by sanctions. That could be enough to cause Russian-backed actors to strike at the United States in response.
“As things continue to go badly for the Russian military, it could expand the cyberwarfare efforts it is using in Ukraine to other countries, particularly targeting financial institutions,” warned technology analyst Charles King of Pund-IT.
While New York City is warning businesses to expect the worst, such precaution should be ongoing.
“That is sensible advice,” King told ClearanceJobs when asked if business shouldn’t already be on ultra-high alert?
The Russians Are Coming to Cyberspace
Russian hackers are believed to be behind last year’s ransomware attacks on the Colonial Pipeline and meat packing plant giant JBS, and in December 2021, cybersecurity researchers told ClearanceJobs that we could likely expect more cyber attacks to come.
That was before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Now, we should probably expect the worst.
“Given Russia’s known fostering of cybercriminals and use of cyberwarfare, high profile targets, like financial institutions, stock exchanges, government agencies and public utilities should stay alert and ensure that their systems and data assets are maximally protected,” added King. “It’s arguable that would be sound advice at any time, considering the growing number of cyberattacks we’ve seen over the past two to three years. But the impact of economic and other sanctions that the U.S., NATO members and other countries have placed on Russia may well inspire its political and military leaders to act rashly.”
Your Cyber Response
It may not just be large companies that could face attacks. Small businesses and even individuals could also come under attack from criminal enterprise that might blame the United States for the economic hardships that will likely fall on Russians.
“The obvious answer of course is to be more security conscious about the information you share online and via social media,” explained Dr. Brian Gant, assistant professor of Cybersecurity at Maryville.
“Americans should be very proactive about monitoring their credit report and taking notice of anything were their identity could be compromised,” Gant told ClearanceJobs. “They should also be weary of anything that does not involve two-factor authentication, which offers the best protection for identifying your true self.”
This level of protection should also be practiced regardless of whether officials warn that we’re on ultra-high alert.
