Business Continuity Management / Disaster Recovery , Cybercrime , Cyberwarfare / Nation-State Attacks

Russia's Cyberattack Strategy: Precision, Not Spillover

The role of cyberattacks in Russia's war against Ukraine continues to evolve as the conflict persists, but already there are notable takeaways.

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For starters, rather than unleashing wiper malware that spreads globally, at least so far, "the Russians decided not to tangle with NATO in terms of a cyberwar event," says Ian Thornton-Trump, CISO of Cyjax. "So I think they had learned precision in terms of deciding to aid the military on the ground in Ukraine with cyberattacks."

But Russia has indeed been continuing to target Ukraine, albeit with little success, thanks to the country's cybersecurity prowess as well as partnerships. "The positive part of this story, of course, is Western technology and its success in defeating those very Russian cyberattacks that were so hyped and so feared," Thornton-Trump says.

In a video interview at the UKI Cybersecurity Summit in London, Thornton-Trump discusses:

• Current geopolitical and cyber activity;
• Reconciling Russia's supposed online capabilities with what the country has been bringing to bear against Ukraine;
• The impact of drones for fighting current and future wars.

At Cyjax, Thornton-Trump performs real-time analysis of immediate threats and keeps abreast of developing security threats. Previously, he was CTO at Octopi Managed Services. His previous experience includes serving with the Military Intelligence Branch of the Canadian Forces, later joining the CF Military Police Reserves and retiring as a public affairs officer in 2013. After a year with the RCMP as a criminal intelligence analyst, he began working as a cybersecurity analyst/consultant for multinational insurance, banking and regional healthcare firms. Thornton-Trump also teaches cybersecurity and IT business courses for CompTIA as part of its global faculty.