Ukraine Has Stopped 4,500 Cyberattacks From Russia In 2022; Targeted Military, Government Resources

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) revealed that Russia has carried out more than 4,500 cyberattacks against Ukraine's digital infrastructure in 2022.

Illia Vitiuk, the chief of the SBU cybersecurity department, said Russia is carrying out an average of 10 cyberattacks per day, targeting energy, military facilities, logistics as well as government databases and information resources.

"Today, the aggressor state launches an average over 10 cyberattacks a day. Fortunately, Ukrainian society does not even know about most of them," Vitiuk said, according to an SBU press release.

Vitiuk noted that the agency is constantly monitoring cyber threats against Ukraine and that they have already identified hackers allegedly from the Russian special services.

"We monitor risks and threats in real-time 24/7. We know by name most of the hackers from Russian special services working against us. The efforts to document them are ongoing. After Ukraine's victory, they will face a separate block of sessions of an international military tribunal," Vitiuk said.

Ukraine's cybersecurity chief said that the cyberattacks in the past few years helped them prepare for the worst scenarios.

According to Vitiuk, they recorded 800 cyberattacks in 2020 and 1,400 incidents in 2021.

The cybersecurity department also thwarted massive attacks in January and February before Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.

Vitiuk noted that the past incidents became "extra training" for them to repel Russian cyberattacks.

Ukraine is also receiving assistance from allies to combat Russian cyberattacks.

The Pentagon's Cyber National Mission Force is providing daily consultations and collaborating with Ukraine to expose potentially compromised Ukrainian computer networks, The New York Times reported.

Earlier this month, the European Union unveiled its cyber lab in Kyiv to assist the Ukrainian Armed Forces in developing cyber defense capabilities to stop Russia from accessing critical information systems.

Despite shoring up its cyber defenses, Ukraine is still bracing for more cyberattacks from Russia. Microsoft revealed that Moscow is coordinating cyberattacks with missile and on-ground strikes.

Clint Watts, the general manager of Microsoft's Digital Threat Analysis Center, said the Russian attacks are also intended to undermine the West's support to Ukraine and sow fear among Ukrainian people.

In November, Microsoft accused Russia of launching ransomware attacks that sought to undermine companies that provide military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.