His name is a tongue twister for German speakers, not to mention the department he heads: Yuri Shchichol directs the Derzhspetszvyazok. But that shouldn’t stop us from listening very carefully to him.
The Ukrainian heads the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection (SSSCIP). That means he is the top cybersecurity chief in the country.
In an interview recently published by the American medium The Record, the Ukrainian speaks relatively openly about the specific attacks and threats. Observers in the West can also learn something from this.
A year after the invasion, his work has not become any easier. That’s an understatement: Russian hackers are constantly adapting and improving their methods as they look for new targets.
What is the interim assessment of the cyber war?
The Ukrainian says:
In the past, Russian hacker groups worked independently on their own projects. However, there seems to be a greater alignment between them now. This could indicate that they are receiving instructions from the top leadership in the Kremlin.
How have cyberattacks changed since early 2023?
Yuriy Shchihol says the hackers changed their attack vectors and targets.
Another change is an increase in attacks on the private sector supply chain, particularly against software makers. These attacks are extremely complex and require more knowledge, skills and capabilities on the part of the attacker to execute.
If hackers infiltrate a private company, it can cause significant damage to other institutions, Shchichol recalls. That was the case in 2017 with the NotPetya malware. It paralyzed hundreds of computers in Ukrainian government agencies, banks, hospitals and airports and caused an estimated $10 billion in damage worldwide.
How has the use of Russian malware changed?
Russian hackers used to focus on using so-called “wipers” to destroy Ukrainian IT systems, the cybersecurity chief says. Now they mainly use spyware to collect information from private messengers, emails and devices.
How do Russian cyber attacks affect the Ukrainian military?
Shchichol confirms what seems logical: the Ukrainian army is a priority for Russian hackers. For example, they constantly tried to attack the battlefield management system “Delta”. (see box below).
It is a cloud-based system for collecting, processing and displaying enemy force data and coordinating your forces. The software meets NATO standards, but goes much further in terms of functionality.
Delta was invented by volunteers from the Aerorozwidka Group, who came together in 2014 to provide innovative reconnaissance technology to the Ukrainian armed forces. The system was launched in 2016 and has since been continuously developed by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Affairs with the help of foreign allies.
According to the developers, Delta provides a real-time, three-dimensional view of the battlefield, integrating information about the Russian attackers from various sensors and sources, including intelligence data, into a digital map. It does not require any additional settings and can work on any device – a laptop, tablet or smartphone.
The view would be similar to Google Maps and any Ukrainian commander would have access to the system. And “Business Insider” said, “Breaking with the hierarchical leadership tradition of the Soviet military, the military learns in real time what is happening on land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.”
Important technical detail: The digital communication between the different units mainly takes place via satellite internet. And as is well known, Starlink from SpaceX plays a decisive role.
The Wall Street Journal noted in early 2023 that Ukraine had achieved a cheap “MacGyver” version of what took the Pentagon decades and billions of dollars to achieve.
What’s going on with the new Ukrainian messenger app?
It is known that most of the military have a smartphone to keep in touch with loved ones at home. However, certain apps pose a significant security risk.
Schchichol says:
The head of cybersecurity says a bug-proof Ukrainian messenger is currently being tested.
The app will initially be used by the military and government officials. If the technology proves reliable, it can be made available to the public.
How is the cooperation with abroad?
Understandably, Ukraine’s chief of cybersecurity does not comment on cooperation with the US military and foreign intelligence agencies.
Shchichol says his country has had access to cutting-edge technology from large private companies such as Microsoft, ESET and Cisco since the start of the war. “These technologies weren’t available to us before.”
Because our partners contribute technology, we provide expertise they didn’t have before.”
How does the controversial American company Palantir help?
In February, the CEO of the US big data company, Alex Karp, told Reuters that Palantir software helped Ukraine attack Russian tanks and artillery.
Shchichol is also coy about this:
What do Ukrainian IT companies contribute?
For Shchichol it is clear:
Is Ukraine strengthening its defenses against hackers?
Yes. The Ministry of Defense is currently setting up its own CERTthe abbreviation stands for Computer Emergency Response Team. This refers to a group of IT specialists who can handle calamities.
The military CERT will complement an already existing civilian IT security team (CERT-UA), it is said.
What role do non-state hackers play?
The Ukrainian cybersecurity chief said:
We collect evidence of all crimes committed by Russians, including in cyberspace, and we actively advocate for cybercrime to be recognized as war crimes.”
Shchichol says hackers should also be considered war criminals if they carry out attacks that kill innocent civilians. “We expect them to be held accountable for all the crimes they committed in Ukraine.”
Sources
- therecord.media: Ukraine’s cyber chief on the ever-evolving digital war with Russia (May 21, 2023)
- wsj.com: Ukraine has digitized its armed forces on a shoestring budget
- mezha.media: The unique Ukrainian situational awareness system Delta was presented at the annual NATO event (October 2022)
- en.wikipedia.org: Special State Communication Service of Ukraine
Source: Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
