Under Near-Constant Assault, Ukraine Is Desperately Trying to Bolster Its Cyber Defenses

2017/8/2 11:57:23

A target of infrastructure hacks, the nation’s government has a long way to go if it’s to protect itself in the future.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Jamie Condliffe for MIT Technology Review, August 1, 2017

 

The threat of cyberattacks is tangible in Ukraine.

 

It bears the brunt of many hacks that target the wider world, like the recent NotPetya attack. But it also struggles in the face of something more troubling: not once, but twice, parts of the country have been plunged into darkness as a result of hackers taking aim at its energy infrastructure.

 

These aren’t the kind of hacks that mean tech-savvy folks need to change their login credentials, but precursors to something far more serious: potentially devastating and life-threatening infrastructure disruptions that could leave thousands or millions of people without electricity or other utilities. As Wired recently explained, some of the attacks targeted at the Ukraine are likely to be tests by Russia as it perfects tools to use in larger-scale cyberwar.

 

Reading a new report from Reuters about how Ukraine is attempting to shore up its cyber defenses, it’s easy to understand why Russia might have decided to target the country. Aside from political tensions, the fact is that Ukraine’s digital infrastructure has been, to put it bluntly, a mess.

 

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https://www.technologyreview.com/s/608 ... lster-its-cyber-defenses/

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