Russia is facing stiff sanctions for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. But as the response grows there are growing fears that Russia may respond with increased cyber attacks. One of the country’s leading cybersecurity experts has warned business leaders that “vigilance” is now essential.

Kamal Bechkoum, head of the school of computing and engineering at the University of Gloucestershire says there has been “heightened concern” about the risk of a fresh wave of cyber attacks emanating from Russian agents. One news report suggests that in addition to state-organised activities, Russian cyber vigilantes may be participating in Russia’s efforts to defeat Ukraine.

In an article for Board Agenda, Bechkoum says cybersecurity is linked to all business risk and hostilities against Ukraine have increased concerns.

“Most recently,” he says, “the discovery in Ukraine of a ‘wiper’, a denial-of-service attack, which paralyses websites by bombarding them with information requests, has accelerated a rush by business worldwide to bolster their defences.

“Other recent alleged Russia-linked cyber attacks have included targets ranging from government services and transport hubs through to private corporations, hospitals and energy pipelines. As a result, all organisations should be increasingly vigilant over the coming days, weeks and months.”

Cyber attacks against Ukraine ‘may spill over’

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre has posted its own warning, calling on organisations to “bolster their online defences”.

“While the NCSC is not aware of any specific threats to UK organisations in relation to events in and around Ukraine, there has been an historical pattern of cyber attacks on Ukraine with international consequences.”

The NSCS also provides detailed guidance on actions to take when the threat level is high.

In an article for the Telegraph, NCSC chief executive Lindy Cameron writes: “I’m sure there will be business leaders across the country who think: ‘It’s too complicated.’ Unfortunately, for businesses today, cybersecurity is essential. Given the potential impact that breaches can have, all business leaders must take this threat seriously—or risk significant business impact. And it’s especially important in the current climate.”

Those warnings were repeated by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which said attacks in January used malware dubbed WhisperGate, with further attacks this month using HermeticWiper, another piece of malware.

CISA said on Saturday: “Destructive malware can present a direct threat to an organisation’s daily operations, impacting the availability of critical assets and data. Further disruptive cyber attacks against organisations in Ukraine are likely to occur and may unintentionally spill over to organisations in other countries.”

‘Monitor cybersecurity vulnerabilities’

Elsewhere, leading consultancy Control Risks highlighted cybersecurity as an issue attached to the imposition of sanctions. “Evaluate and monitor your exposure to cybersecurity vulnerabilities related to the Ukraine crisis,” the consultancy’s website says.

The cyber dimension has been widely reported as a front in the conflict so far between Russia and Ukraine, though there are no reports of attacks currently affecting UK companies.

However, there have been several reports of Russian website and services sustaining cyber attacks, some from the self-styled hacker collective Anonymous, which has reportedly penetrated the network defences of Russian TV stations and, today, the website of the news agency TASS.