Some European leaders of the military’s cyber defense forces have noticed that Russian authorities are less effective than expected in using digital combat capabilities during their offensive against Ukraine.
We are sure there will be a cyber-Pearl Harbor to support the offensive on the ground, said General Karol Molenda, the commander of the Polish cyber defense forces, at a round table at the International Cybersecurity Forum in Lille, France.
But Ukraine was ready, and resisted Russia’s cyberattacks. The number one lesson of war is possibly preparing for a computer conflict, he said.
Moreover, Russia is strong in attack, but not so good on defensenoted the general, referring to the many cyberattacks that have affected the country, especially from groups of independent hackers.
The West of crosshairs?
But we must remember that Russia has strong capabilities in psychological action and informationthat it could enforce against Western countries, especially after new sanctions, he warned.
Colonel Romualdas Petkevicius, from the Lithuanian National Cybersecurity Center, felt that obviously, the Russians are not ready for a coordinated war on the physical plane and on the electronic plane.
There are currently cyberattacks all over Ukraine, but I don’t think they are very planneddid he declare.
General Didier Tisseyre, the leader of French forces in the field, made the same observation of a disconnection between cyberattacks and military offensives on the ground.
Maybe they weren’t able to fix it the way they wantedand their capabilities is not as strong as you thinkhe said.
Imponderables
But analyzing the conflict became more complicated as groups of independent hackers entered the fray, while companies like Microsoft or Starlink also flew in to help Ukraine, he also underlined.
According to him, rivalry in cyberspace now it’s like rugby world cup, where all teams are on the field without their unique jersey. The public is also on the ground, and that’s where we must prevent tests from being scored.
France Media Agency
Source: Radio-Canada