Cyber ​​security: Ottawa calls for vigilance after pro-Russian threats | War in Ukraine

This warning is worrying Especially operators of government websites and critical infrastructureIn a statement released Friday, the agency that oversees cybersecurity for the federal government, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), and the Canadian Center for Cyber ​​Security point to

Malicious cyber threat writers seeking Russian interests have publicly announced their intention to target the United Nations in support of Ukraine’s defense against Russian attacks and aggression.Indicates the text.

” The Cyber ​​Security Center continues to remind [aux] Operators of government websites and critical infrastructure should be extra vigilant and implement necessary measures to protect against malicious cyber threats. »

“No money, no Ukrainian regime”

In an unusual move, three hacker groups – Gilnet, Anonymous Sudan and Revil – announced in a video that they are joining forces to launch a massive cyber attack against the bank communications platform SWIFT Financial System used by thousands of financial institutions around the world. .

Founded in 1973, SWIFT is one of the largest banking and financial news networks.

Photo: Reuters/Chris Hellgren

All three groups said in a video posted online Wednesday that they wanted to target the system in the United States and Europe In the next 48 hours.

If God rules Russia, who rules Europe? asks a masked and voice-altered man. That’s it! Banking system. No money, no guns, no Ukrainian regimeThe voice continues, implying that this is a threat in retaliation for Western support for Kyiv in its conflict with Russia.

In an email, a spokesperson said CST A warning issued on Friday says A reaction to these threats. Three hacker groups are best known for widespread distributed denial of service attacks. Denial of Serviceor DDoS), which overloads a server with requests and makes it unavailable and takes it out of service.

Last April, several Canadian ports were targeted for this type of attack.

Below are the relationships

The Canadian Center for Cyber ​​Security has made the call Any Canadian organization that believes it is the target of a cyber threat Contact it through its website, which includes lots of information and advice on how to detect and protect yourself from malicious activity.

The SWIFT system (Community for Global Interbank Financial Telecommunications) is a secure messaging platform that allows operations such as payment orders or fund transfers between banks.

In March 2022, the European Union disconnected several Russian banks from the system, which has about 11,000 members and no real competitor in the world. According to European officials, China built another network — a smaller one at this point — and despite a Russian system called SPFS, Swift was still used for 70% of transactions in Russia.

The threats come as relations between Moscow and Ottawa are at an all-time low due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky greets Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv, Ukraine on June 10, 2023.

Photo: via Reuters / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ukraine last weekend, where he announced that Canada had officially taken over the plane, which had been parked on the tarmac at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport since February 2022.

The Russian-registered Antonov An-124 belongs to Volga-Dnepr, which was approved by Canada in April. It is one of the world’s largest planes and Ottawa fears Russia could use it to deliver military equipment for an invasion of Ukraine.

In response, Russian officials, who say the plane landed in Toronto to administer COVID-19 tests, called a seizure. Cynical and shameless theft.

The Russian side warns that the practical implementation of this decision will have very serious consequences for Russian-Canadian relations, which are already on the verge of collapse.The Russian Foreign Ministry responded in a press release.

So far, Canada has pledged to supply Ukraine’s forces with about 50 air defense missiles and one surface-to-air missile system purchased from the United States at a cost of $406 million. The government has provided eight Leopard tanks, dozens of armored vehicles and thousands of artillery pieces.

Starting in February 2022, Canada has pledged $1 billion worth of military aid.