Since the start of the invasion, pundits and commentators have repeatedly overestimated Russian capabilities on and off the battlefield. And that was strange because cyber warfare has been going on for so long'. 'I don’t think Russia as a whole was prepared for the idea that they would become a cyber training range for every hacker in the world once they started this invasion,' Robin said.

Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik via AP Overestimating RussiaĪs Robin continued receiving tasks from PR, from gathering information on Russia logistical companies to cracking surveillance cameras to give Ukrainian forces more eyes in occupied territories, they said they were surprised to find how easy it was to get into Russian systems. Since Vladimir Putin launched his 'special operation' in Ukraine, commentators have overestimated Russian strength. PR said there was an operation to stop Russia from using its state-owned railway to transport equipment to the frontlines. Robin’s second task was more specific and strategic. In recent years, Russian hackers were also widely suspected of being behind efforts to disrupt elections in Western countries including the United States, Germany, and France. While tracing individual cyberattacks to a state actor is nearly impossible, a 2007 cyberattack by Russian hackers against Estonia is widely recognised as the first instance of a cyber weapon being used by one state actor against another.

It’s not unusual for Russia to use destructive cyberattacks against its enemies. How NATO is harnessing disruptive tech to tackle modern warfare, cybersecurity and climate changeįrom February 27 to April 8, Microsoft’s researchers found evidence of “nearly 40 discrete destructive attacks that permanently destroyed files in hundreds of systems across dozens of organizations in Ukraine”.

Nuclear time hack