Critical Infrastructure Security, Threat Management

Increasingly prevalent hacktivist attack claims against OT networks spark concern

CyberScoop reports that more hacktivist operations, including GhostSec and Team OneFist, have been claiming cyberattacks against operational technology networks amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in a bid to gain public attention. Even though most hacktivists' OT attack claims were either false or exaggerated, increased targeting by such actors may raise the prevalence of actual and significant OT incidents, according to a report from Mandiant. "The risk is higher for organizations that are perceptibly associated with political events or social disputes based on geographic location, nationality, language, or industry of relevance," said Mandiant. The report also showed that simpler attacks, including denial-of-service intrusions and website attacks, have been initially favored by hacktivist operations but Daniel Zafra, Mandiant analysis manager at Google Cloud, noted that the Russia-Ukraine war has prompted groups to amplify their capabilities. The ongoing conflict has also resulted in state-sponsored threat actors impersonating hacktivist operations against OT networks in an effort to conceal malicious activity, Zafra added.

Get daily email updates

SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news

By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.