Tag: pro-russian
Researchers Say ‘Suspicious’ Edits on Wikipedia Reek of Pro-Russian Propaganda
Wikipedia—the online encyclopedia that helps you learn stuff, waste time, and seem more knowledgable than you really are—is not immune to foreign propaganda, according to new research. A study published Monday exposed a network of shadowy editors, the likes of which have been attempting to sway the narrative about…
Pro-Russian ‘Hacktivists’ Temporarily Disrupted Some US State Government Web Sites
The Kentucky Board of Elections’ website, which posts information on how to register to vote, was also temporarily offline on Wednesday, but it was not immediately clear what caused that outage. The board of elections’ website is also managed by the Kentucky government, though the hackers did not specifically list the board as a target…. Websites like that of the Kentucky Board of Elections are not directly involved in the casting or counting of votes, but they can provide useful information for voters….
The hacking group claiming responsibility for Wednesday’s website outage is known as Killnet and stepped up their activity after Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine to target organizations in NATO countries. They are a loose band of so-called “hacktivists” — politically motivated hackers who support the Kremlin but whose ties to that government are unknown. The group also claimed responsibility for briefly downing a US Congress website in July, and for cyberattacks on organizations in Lithuania after the Baltic country blocked the shipment of some goods to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in June….
Officials at the FBI and CISA reiterated this week that any efforts by hackers to breach election infrastructure are “unlikely to result in largescale disruptions or prevent voting.”
Government Technology supplies some context:
Amsterdam-based threat intelligence technology and services provider EclecticIQ’s Threat Research team said in a blog post that Killnet appears to only have the capacity to launch DDoS attacks with short-term impact, and falls short of dealing lasting damage to victims’ network infrastructure. “Analysts believe that Killnet supporters are novice users with zero or limited experience with DDoS attacks, based on an analysis of Telegram messaging data and open-source reporting,” EclecticIQ wrote.
CNN described Killnet’s typical attacks as “crude hacks that temporarily knock websites offline but don’t do further damage to infrastructure.
“Killnet thrives off of public attention and bravado, and cybersecurity experts have to strike a balance between being mindful of Killnet’s online antics and not hyping a low-level threat.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Chainalysis Report Says $2.2 Million in Crypto Has Been Sent to Pro-Russian Groups in Ukraine – Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News
by Jamie Redman According to a report stemming from the blockchain intelligence company Chainalysis, the firm identified 54 pro-Russian groups that have “collectively received over $2.2 million worth of cryptocurrency.” The paramilitary groups in Ukraine primarily received bitcoin and ether donations but also got tether, litecoin and dogecoin as well, the Chainalysis study details.Chainalysis believes…