clydeiii/cybersecurity · Datasets at Hugging Face

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country (Baltic News Service, 2009). Aleksandr Gostev, director of the
Kaspersky Lab
s Global Research and Analysis Team, explains that hackers
who participate in a distributed denial of service attack violate the Russian
Criminal Code (Article 274, Violation of the Rules Governing the Use of
Computers, Computer Systems, or Networks Thereof) and can be imprisoned for
four years for violating the code. But he also states that the article is rarely
used (Buranov, Vodo & Yegikyan, 2009). The examples of Russian citizens
admitting to participating in the Estonian cyber attacks are grounds for
Volume 11, 2009
Baltic Security & Defence Review
Russian citizens to be arrested in other parts of Europe if Russia fails to
uphold its own laws.
Similar actions occurred in the Georgian cyber attacks. Messages were
posted on Russian hacker forums on how to participate in shutting down
Georgian websites. The website StopGeorgia.ru was also established as a
private forum to coordinate the denial of service attacks. Jeff Carr, a
network security expert and cyber analyst, established an all volunteer
group to investigate the cyber attacks. Throughout the course of the
investigation, which they named Project Grey Goose, no evidence was found
to implicate the Russian government. This was just another example of a
hactivist movement which had the collective power to conduct a cyber
attack against a government. (Melikishvili, 2008/2009)
The Project Grey Goose investigation has looked at hactivists and how they
can independently conduct cyber attacks. It also focused on a criminal
gang known as the Russian Business Network (R.B.N.). The R.B.N. is based
in St. Petersburg and engages in criminal cyber activities. According to
Don Jackson, the director of threat intelligence at Secure Works, some of
the cyber attacks used against Georgian websites originated from
computers under the control of the R.B.N. As is the case with any cyber
attacks it is very difficult to establish who is completely responsible or if
there is any Russian government sanctioned involvement. (Markoff, 2008a)
This article has already noted that there are other groups involved with
cyber attacks against former Soviet satellites. The evidence of Russian
government involvement will now be investigated (Davis, 2009). Indeed,
some statements made by Russian government officials suggest Russian
government involvement in cyber attacks. Prior to the cyber attacks in
Estonia the Russian government protested the movement of the Russian
memorial, the Bronze Soldier, to the Estonian government. The Russian
government warned how disastrous the move would be to Estonia. What
followed were the protests and the cyber attacks. (Davis, 2009)
The head of the Russian Army Centre for Military Forecast, Colonel
Anatoly Tsyganok, made comments to the Russian news outlet, Gazeta,
about the cyber attacks on Estonia. He believes that there was nothing
wrong with the attacks because there are no international agreements
established. Colonel Tsyganok also believes that NATO couldn
t do
Baltic Security & Defence Review
Volume 11, 2009
anything to stop the attacks, and that they were highly successful.
(prygi.blogspot.com 9, 2008)
The most telling example of Russian government involvement in cyber
warfare was with Herman Simm selling IT secrets to the Russian Foreign
Intelligence Service that was discussed earlier in this article. This examples
shows that the government of the Russian Federation is actively seeking
information on cyber defences and is willing to pay large sums of money
(Mr. Simm is accused of selling cyber security secrets for millions of
dollars) to receive information on cyber security. (Melikishvili, 2008/2009)
There are also cases where cyber attacks were used against people who are
in opposition to the Russian government. One such example is with Gary
Kasparov, Russian opposition party leader, had his website shut down for
two weeks due to denial of service attacks during the Russian presidential
campaign. John Palfrey, a researcher at Harvard Law School, believes that
several organizations in Russia who plan to protest, or act in opposition to
the Russian government, are subjected to cyber attacks in an attempt to
control the information that is getting to the public. (Greenberg, 2008)
Another example of Russian government complicity is the lack of
assistance or interest in tracking down those responsible for the cyber
attacks against governments of former Soviet satellites (Davis, 2009). The
evidence of government involvement remains circumstantial, but certain
facts are clear concerning cyber security and former Soviet satellites. If
there is opposition to Russian Federation policy than that country that is in
opposition is likely to be subject to a cyber attack and it has been shown
that the Russian Federation actively collects information on other
countries cyber defences.
10. The future of Russian cyber warfare
The perception exists among different nations (some of those nations have
been discussed earlier in this study) that the government of the Russian
Federation has been involved in cyber attacks. This section will examine
future trends concerning the use of cyber attacks by, or sanctioned by, the
Russian Federation government. The cyber attacks against Estonia and
Georgia have forced Russia to evaluate its future cyber strategy. In
examining the Russian focus on improving its cyber strategy some
Volume 11, 2009
Baltic Security & Defence Review
conclusions can be drawn about the future of Russian cyber warfare.
(Panarin, 2008)
As with many countries that have an advanced IT system, a sub-culture of
hacking has developed. Even though the state sponsored university in St.
Petersburg produces computer programmers that are highly regarded it is
believed that most of the hackers are young and not educated at the
university level. The reason behind the growth of Russian computer
hackers is the prestige and monetary reward that hacking garners in a
growing IT infrastructure. (Varoli, 2000)
The criminal organization, R.B.N., has been able to conduct its cyber
activities with little interference from the Russian Federation government.
The R.B.N. is very difficult to track on the internet as they are able to
locate their activities from several different locations. The group has been
involved in several different types of criminal cyber activities such as the
use of malware, identity theft, and child pornography. Without any

country (Baltic News Service, 2009). Aleksandr Gostev, director of the

Kaspersky Lab

s Global Research and Analysis Team, explains that hackers

who participate in a distributed denial of service attack violate the Russian

Criminal Code (Article 274, Violation of the Rules Governing the Use of

Computers, Computer Systems, or Networks Thereof) and can be imprisoned for

four years for violating the code. But he also states that the article is rarely

used (Buranov, Vodo & Yegikyan, 2009). The examples of Russian citizens

admitting to participating in the Estonian cyber attacks are grounds for

Volume 11, 2009

Baltic Security & Defence Review

Russian citizens to be arrested in other parts of Europe if Russia fails to

uphold its own laws.

Similar actions occurred in the Georgian cyber attacks. Messages were

posted on Russian hacker forums on how to participate in shutting down

Georgian websites. The website StopGeorgia.ru was also established as a

private forum to coordinate the denial of service attacks. Jeff Carr, a

network security expert and cyber analyst, established an all volunteer

group to investigate the cyber attacks. Throughout the course of the

investigation, which they named Project Grey Goose, no evidence was found

to implicate the Russian government. This was just another example of a

hactivist movement which had the collective power to conduct a cyber

attack against a government. (Melikishvili, 2008/2009)

The Project Grey Goose investigation has looked at hactivists and how they

can independently conduct cyber attacks. It also focused on a criminal

gang known as the Russian Business Network (R.B.N.). The R.B.N. is based

in St. Petersburg and engages in criminal cyber activities. According to

Don Jackson, the director of threat intelligence at Secure Works, some of

the cyber attacks used against Georgian websites originated from

computers under the control of the R.B.N. As is the case with any cyber

attacks it is very difficult to establish who is completely responsible or if

there is any Russian government sanctioned involvement. (Markoff, 2008a)

This article has already noted that there are other groups involved with

cyber attacks against former Soviet satellites. The evidence of Russian

government involvement will now be investigated (Davis, 2009). Indeed,

some statements made by Russian government officials suggest Russian

government involvement in cyber attacks. Prior to the cyber attacks in

Estonia the Russian government protested the movement of the Russian

memorial, the Bronze Soldier, to the Estonian government. The Russian

government warned how disastrous the move would be to Estonia. What

followed were the protests and the cyber attacks. (Davis, 2009)

The head of the Russian Army Centre for Military Forecast, Colonel

Anatoly Tsyganok, made comments to the Russian news outlet, Gazeta,

about the cyber attacks on Estonia. He believes that there was nothing

wrong with the attacks because there are no international agreements

established. Colonel Tsyganok also believes that NATO couldn

t do

Baltic Security & Defence Review

Volume 11, 2009

anything to stop the attacks, and that they were highly successful.

(prygi.blogspot.com 9, 2008)

The most telling example of Russian government involvement in cyber

warfare was with Herman Simm selling IT secrets to the Russian Foreign

Intelligence Service that was discussed earlier in this article. This examples

shows that the government of the Russian Federation is actively seeking

information on cyber defences and is willing to pay large sums of money

(Mr. Simm is accused of selling cyber security secrets for millions of

dollars) to receive information on cyber security. (Melikishvili, 2008/2009)

There are also cases where cyber attacks were used against people who are

in opposition to the Russian government. One such example is with Gary

Kasparov, Russian opposition party leader, had his website shut down for

two weeks due to denial of service attacks during the Russian presidential

campaign. John Palfrey, a researcher at Harvard Law School, believes that

several organizations in Russia who plan to protest, or act in opposition to

the Russian government, are subjected to cyber attacks in an attempt to

control the information that is getting to the public. (Greenberg, 2008)

Another example of Russian government complicity is the lack of

assistance or interest in tracking down those responsible for the cyber

attacks against governments of former Soviet satellites (Davis, 2009). The

evidence of government involvement remains circumstantial, but certain

facts are clear concerning cyber security and former Soviet satellites. If

there is opposition to Russian Federation policy than that country that is in

opposition is likely to be subject to a cyber attack and it has been shown

that the Russian Federation actively collects information on other

countries cyber defences.

10. The future of Russian cyber warfare

The perception exists among different nations (some of those nations have

been discussed earlier in this study) that the government of the Russian

Federation has been involved in cyber attacks. This section will examine

future trends concerning the use of cyber attacks by, or sanctioned by, the

Russian Federation government. The cyber attacks against Estonia and

Georgia have forced Russia to evaluate its future cyber strategy. In

examining the Russian focus on improving its cyber strategy some

Volume 11, 2009

Baltic Security & Defence Review

conclusions can be drawn about the future of Russian cyber warfare.

(Panarin, 2008)

As with many countries that have an advanced IT system, a sub-culture of

hacking has developed. Even though the state sponsored university in St.

Petersburg produces computer programmers that are highly regarded it is

believed that most of the hackers are young and not educated at the

university level. The reason behind the growth of Russian computer

hackers is the prestige and monetary reward that hacking garners in a

growing IT infrastructure. (Varoli, 2000)

The criminal organization, R.B.N., has been able to conduct its cyber

activities with little interference from the Russian Federation government.

The R.B.N. is very difficult to track on the internet as they are able to

locate their activities from several different locations. The group has been

involved in several different types of criminal cyber activities such as the

use of malware, identity theft, and child pornography. Without any