Russia has been at war with Ukraine for years – in cyberspace

Maggie Smith, United States Military Academy West Point The build up of Russian forces along Belarus’ 665-mile border with Ukraine is a physical manifestation of Russia’s intense interest in the region. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and now Russian President Valdimir Putin appears intent on pulling Ukraine under Russia’s influence and denying it a close… Continue reading Russia has been at war with Ukraine for years – in cyberspace

Considering buying a smart device? To protect your security, ask yourself these five questions

Iain Nash, Queen Mary University of London Houses are getting smarter: smart thermostats manage our heating, while smart fridges can monitor our food consumption and help us order groceries. Some houses even have smart doorbells that tell us who is on our doorstep. And of course, smart TVs allow us to stream the content we… Continue reading Considering buying a smart device? To protect your security, ask yourself these five questions

How much damage could a Russian cyberattack do in the US?

Scott Jasper, Naval Postgraduate School U.S. intelligence analysts have determined that Moscow would consider a cyberattack against the U.S. as the Ukraine crisis grows. As a scholar of Russian cyber operations, I know the Kremlin has the capacity to damage critical U.S. infrastructure systems. Federal officials have been bracing for this. In January 2022 the… Continue reading How much damage could a Russian cyberattack do in the US?

How AI is shaping the cybersecurity arms race

Sagar Samtani, Indiana University The average business receives 10,000 alerts every day from the various software tools it uses to monitor for intruders, malware and other threats. Cybersecurity staff often find themselves inundated with data they need to sort through to manage their cyber defenses. The stakes are high. Cyberattacks are increasing and affect thousands… Continue reading How AI is shaping the cybersecurity arms race

The hacker group Anonymous has waged a cyber war against Russia. How effective could they actually be?

Jennifer Medbury, Edith Cowan University and Paul Haskell-Dowland, Edith Cowan University A spate of cyber attacks has affected Ukraine’s digital systems since Russia’s invasion began. It soon became clear Russia’s “boots on the ground” approach would be supplemented by a parallel cyber offensive. Last week Ukraine called on its citizens to take to their keyboards… Continue reading The hacker group Anonymous has waged a cyber war against Russia. How effective could they actually be?

Local governments are attractive targets for hackers and are ill-prepared

Richard Forno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County President Joe Biden on March 21, 2022, warned that Russian cyberattacks on U.S. targets are likely, though the government has not identified a specific threat. Biden urged the private sector: “Harden your cyber defenses immediately.” It is a costly fact of modern life that organizations from pipelines and… Continue reading Local governments are attractive targets for hackers and are ill-prepared

Budget 2022: $9.9 billion towards cyber security aims to make Australia a key ‘offensive’ cyber player

Paul Haskell-Dowland, Edith Cowan University In the 2022 federal budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg launched a range of vote-winning initiatives – one of which included a breathtaking A$9.9 billion for cyber security over ten years. Bundled under the acronym REDSPICE (which stands for resilience, effects, defence, space, intelligence, cyber and enablers), the program is expected to… Continue reading Budget 2022: $9.9 billion towards cyber security aims to make Australia a key ‘offensive’ cyber player

Cyberattacks have yet to play a significant role in Russia’s battlefield operations in Ukraine – cyberwarfare experts explain the likely reasons

Nadiya Kostyuk, Georgia Institute of Technology and Erik Gartzke, University of California San Diego Throughout the latter half of 2021, as it became clear that Russia was massing a large portion of its conventional combat power on the eastern borders of Ukraine, analysts offered contrasting predictions about the role cyberspace would play in an armed… Continue reading Cyberattacks have yet to play a significant role in Russia’s battlefield operations in Ukraine – cyberwarfare experts explain the likely reasons

How Ukraine has defended itself against cyberattacks – lessons for the US

Robert Peacock, Florida International University In 2014, as Russia launched a proxy war in Eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea, and in the years that followed, Russian hackers hammered Ukraine. The cyberattacks went so far as to knock out the power grid in parts of the country in 2015. Russian hackers stepped up their efforts against… Continue reading How Ukraine has defended itself against cyberattacks – lessons for the US

How QR codes work and what makes them dangerous – a computer scientist explains

Scott Ruoti, University of Tennessee Among the many changes brought about by the pandemic is the widespread use of QR codes, graphical representations of digital data that can be printed and later scanned by a smartphone or other device. QR codes have a wide range of uses that help people avoid contact with objects and… Continue reading How QR codes work and what makes them dangerous – a computer scientist explains