Last year, the notorious Russian hacking group known as “Sandworm” reportedly pulled the plug in Ukraine – literally! In the process, they not only caused a brief yet unsettling power outage in October 2022, but also left the tech world in a bit of a dark. Puts a whole new spin on “power struggle”, doesn’t it?
According to Google’s Mandiant, this wasn’t any ordinary WiFi glitch; this was a “multi-event cyber attack”. Now that’s one way to light up the events calendar! The hack, they suggest, followed a unique method that definitely wasn’t ICS (Industrial Control Systems) 101. Think about a virtual heist, only instead of a vault, we’re talking about infrastructure. Got to love a team that enjoys a challenge!
Surprisingly, the first mode of attack the hackers took was not a fire-breathing digital dragon, but OT-Level living-off-of-the-land techniques (LOtL). You might imagine some tech ninjas breaking from thick foliage and covertly disabling the grid, but really, it means they repurposed legitimate tools to nefarious ends. To think, hackers masking as lowly weeds. Go ahead, take a minute to let that sink in!
In summary, the Sandworm hack was a classic example of modern-day cyber warfare. These tech wizards from Russia chose an electric network in Ukraine as their digital playground and caused an unprecedented outage. No small outage mind you, but rather a serious block-out that knocked Ukraine’s feet out from under it, if only for a brief period. Google’s Mandiant has provided us with an illuminating insight into the hack, exposing the unique method and crafty OT-level LOtL techniques utilized. Sneaky as weeds but hitting as hard as one of dad’s lame puns, this should serve as a potent reminder of the increasingly complex world of cyber threats we face.
Original Article: https://thehackernews.com/2023/11/russian-hackers-sandworm-cause-power.html
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