Today marks one year since the war began in Ukraine, a war that has had devastating consequences in virtually all areas of life. In addition to the humanitarian effects, the technology industry has also suffered severe damage.
Before the outbreak of the conflict, technology was experiencing one of its best moments since the pandemic period. However, the situation has changed drastically in just one year, and part of the sector’s woes are directly or indirectly due to the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia has historically been one of the main sources of cyberattacks in the world, and the war in Ukraine has turned digital into yet another front to protect against, not only for Ukraine but for all countries in general. According to a Google report, Russia has increased phishing attacks on Ukraine by 250% in 2022 compared to 2020. These types of attacks, based on social engineering to deceive people, such as phishing, are particularly complicated to combat.
However, cyberwarfare knows no borders, and attempted phishing attacks by Russian hackers on NATO countries increased by 300% over the past year. According to Secure&IT, a cybersecurity firm, Russia is the source of most cyberattacks targeting the United States and Europe, along with countries such as China and North Korea.
The CNI already warned in March last year about possible cyber-attacks on Spain by hacker groups dependent on the Kremlin, such as APT28, which specializes in advanced persistent threats, one of the most dangerous types of cyber-attacks. This group has already attacked Hillary Clinton’s campaign, among other famous actions.
Among the main threats are ransomware attacks on industrial environments and critical infrastructures. Due to advances in the Dark Web, data breaches are increasingly accessible to people with little knowledge.
The CEO of Secure&IT, Francisco Valencia, warns that we are in a complicated time in terms of security. The armed conflict in Ukraine has unleashed a battle in cyberspace, and the growing threat of a larger cyberwar is one of the main concerns for organizations.
Another major international consequence of the Ukraine war has been the rise in inflation around the world due to Russian gas and oil export restrictions. This increase has had an impact on the technology sector, where some products have been launched at higher prices, such as the iPhone 14, which has come to cost between $100 to $160 more.