The cybersecurity agencies of both Canada and the U.S. are warning partners to “increase their cyber vigilance” and prepare for potential online attacks to mark the anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) in a statement Friday urged Canadian organizations to be “vigilant and prepared for potential malicious cyber activity” as the war enters its second year.
“CSE’s Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) is specifically warning Canadian organizations and critical infrastructure operators to be prepared for the possible disruptive and defacement of websites by cyber threat actors aligned with Russian interests,” the statement says.
The agency said operators of government and critical infrastructure websites especially should “adopt a heightened state of vigilance” and bolster their awareness of, and protection against, malicious cyber threats.
Separately on Friday, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an alert saying malicious actors may launch “disruptive and defacement attacks against websites in an attempt to sow chaos and societal discord” in the U.S. and European nations.
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The agency advises all organizations to review guidance on how to protect against distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, as well as its Shields Up series of public cybersecurity resources launched after Russia launched its invasion last year.
That alert does not specifically name Russia or any other state-sponsored group.
The twin warnings come a month after the CSE’s Cyber Centre alerted Canadian defence and critical infrastructure providers to “adopt a heightened state of vigilance” amid reports of Russian-linked cyberattacks targeting governments supporting Ukraine.
That message came in response to an attack launched by Russian activist hackers that knocked several German websites offline, in what is widely perceived as a response to Berlin’s decision to send tanks to Ukraine.
The German government had begun allowing other western governments, including Canada, to supply Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks supplied by Germany — a move Moscow has publicly stated would be viewed as an escalation of the conflict.
The West has been forced to take a heightened stance against cyber threats since before the full-scale war broke out on Feb. 24, 2022. Moscow-backed hackers have targeted Ukraine and western nations with cyberattacks in an attempt to destabilize resistance to the invasion.
Most notably, the U.S. and the European Union determined Russia was responsible for an attack that crippled a satellite network in Europe hours before the first missiles hit Ukraine. The attack cut off broadband internet connections in Ukraine and froze energy and military infrastructure in Europe.
Last January, Global Affairs Canada suffered what it called a “cyber incident” that sources told Global News may have been conducted by Russia or Russian-backed hackers. The incident disrupted the agency’s network for days.
Western officials say the Russian government is a global leader in hacking and uses cyber espionage against foreign governments and industries to seek a competitive advantage. However, Moscow has consistently denied that it carries out hacking operations.
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