Google Says Russia-Ukraine Conflict Changed Cybercrime Ecosystem; Here's TAG's Analysis

Google TAG (Threat Analysis Group) released a report explaining how the Russia-Ukraine conflict transformed the cybercrime ecosystem.

The new cybersecurity analysis report was published days before the Russia-Ukraine conflict's anniversary, which is on Feb. 24.

"Nearly one year ago, Russia invaded Ukraine, and we continue to see cyber operations play a prominent role in the war," said Google via its official TAG report.

Google Says Russia-Ukraine Conflict Changes Cybercrime Ecosystem

According to ZDNet's latest report, Google cybersecurity experts believe that the ongoing issue in Ukraine upended the cybercrime ecosystem in Eastern Europe.

They said that "lines are blurring" between government-backed and financially-motivated malicious actors.

Google experts added that some cybercriminals decided to align their goals with geopolitical interests.

Meanwhile, many government-backed hackers are adopting strategies used by financially-motivated cybercriminals.

These ongoing shifts in the cybercrime ecosystem are leading to ransomware specialization. Because of this, Google TAG researchers claimed that pinning down guilty parties is now more difficult to pull off.

Cybercrime Shifts Google Noticed

The latest Google TAG analysis report provided the major changes that the search engine giant noticed during the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.

These include the following:

• Many hackers are avoiding targeting critical infrastructure.
• Hackers are now being divided; some siding Russia, while others support Ukraine.
• Cybercriminals are experimenting with more complicated tactics, such as unconventional file formats, new delivery channels, etc.

Aside from cybercrime ecosystem changes, Google TAG also provided the things they expect will soon happen. These include the following:

• Russia will continue to increase the scope and pace of IO.
• Moscow will further enhance destructive and disruptive cyberattacks.
• Russian-backed cybercrime groups will continue to target Ukraine. Some of them will start eyeing NATO partners.

These are just some of the insights about the transforming cybercrime ecosystem in the Easter Europe that Google shared. If you want to learn more details, you can click this link.

Eastern Europe is not the only part of the globe experiencing worsening cybersecurity threats.

Recently, UN experts claimed that North Korean-backed hackers were able to steal record-breaking virtual assets in 2022.

We also reported on the data risks posed by illegal Super Bowl LVII streaming.

For more news updates about cybersecurity and other related tech topics, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.