Ukraine could face 'full scale' Russian cyber war just days after defence ministry attack

UKRAINE is preparing for a potential cyber war just days after accusing Russia of orchestrating a cyber attack on two banks and its defence ministry.

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Despite denying the cyber attack allegations, a cyber expert has claimed President Putin's military intelligence agency is entirely capable of disrupting Ukraine's infrastructure "in minutes". Meanwhile, a former director of the US National Security Agency wrote that "the world has a front-row seat to what could possibly be the first full-scale cyber war in the making".

Many experts have noted that with over 100,000 Russian troops stationed across the Ukrainian border, tensions are ever-increasing and that modern warfare will inevitably involve an element of cyber warfare.

Though cyber warfare does not cause as much physical devastation as conventional warfare, it is still an effective tool for causing mass disruption.

This has led to growing fears about the scale of what can be impacted in the future.

Research analyst at Chatham House, Esther Naylor, said: "Attacks don't have to do anything more destructive than a denial of service.

Phone screen showing Ukraine defence twtitter

Russia have relentlessly launched cyber attacks against Ukraine (Image: Getty)

Pro-Ukraine protest

Pro-Ukraine protests outside the UN (Image: Getty)

"Their goal is to cause panic, and to make people think what might come next."

James Lewis, senior vice-president at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the Russian intelligence agency (GRU) would launch a cyber attack prior to an invasion.

Mr Lewis continued: "The Russians are the best in the world in this type of warfare and they have the advantage that they built all the networks and utilities in Ukraine. 

"They know the country inside out."

Some of the capabilities of GRU have already been displayed in the Salisbury poisonings and large-scale cyber attacks.

However, Lewis also warned "the really effective stuff is held in reserve by GRU".

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Sergiy Kyslytsya at UN Security Council

Sergiy Kyslytsya Ukraine representative to the UN at UN Security Council (Image: Getty)

2 soldiers in a trench on the Ukrainian frontline

Soldiers are prepared on the Ukrainian frontline (Image: Getty)

He added: "If they wanted, they could turn off the country's electrical power, disrupt every network and cause havoc."

Russia has relentlessly launched major cyber operations in Ukraine over the past decade and most notably, NotPetya, the cyber attack that targeted Ukrainian transportation, power and finance to instil chaos.

The difference with NotPetya was that the impact was felt across the globe with large-scale operational disruptions and therefore a major impact on the global economy.

Since this attack, Russia has improved its cyber warfare methods to become much more accurately targeted in order to avoid causing international chaos.

The damage that could be caused is now far greater combined with the higher risk of an attack.

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Defence meeting at NATO

NATO defence meetings are taking place (Image: Getty)

Such attacks are used to lower the morale and optimism of countries such as Ukraine.

A cyber war combined with possible invasion is considered an extremely effective method of overrunning a country through sheer shock and fear.

Microsoft released a warning that it has identified newly added destructive malware in Ukrainian networks that cross multiple government, information technology organisations and non-profit organisations.

The former director of the US National Security Agency spoke out about the issue of shared defence and stated that those who underestimate the impact of cyber warfare on the West are displaying their naivety.

"We will all be faced with a 9/11-scale threat in cyberspace – the question is simply when. 

"Banding together is a must."

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