The scandal with the involvement of Russian hackers in the electoral process in the United States erupted in the summer of 2016. Then widely available was the correspondence of the head of the election headquarters of the candidate from Democratic party Hillary Clinton John Podestà. After losing the election, Clinton said that hacker attacks have become one of the factors of its defeat. Such a scheme kibervoinov tried to implement and France – were targeted in the server of the headquarters of the current President of France Emmanuel Makron. According to experts, such cases with the development of technology have become global, though not always are public. And if ordinary people hackers hack for different purposes, the attack on prominent politicians is often to manipulate public opinion.
Russia is actively experimenting in the field of cyber attacks – analyst
The phenomenon of cyber warfare, appeared due to the development of global information networks and technologies, says, “Today,” political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko. A hacker attack on the servers of the Democratic party in the midst of the U.S. presidential race in 2016 and on the servers of a staff of Emmanuel Macron, who won the presidential elections in France in 2017, have become one of the most illustrative examples of such actions. Moreover, in these cases there is indirect evidence of the involvement of Russian special services or something close to that of hacker organizations, the expert said.
While the effective interference of hacker attacks in the electoral process directly, however. Formally this is possible in the case of electronic voting. In other cases, we are talking more about complex political attacks, where hacker attacks are only part of the technology, they play a supporting role
“There are official statements of representatives of the us intelligence and law enforcement agencies of several European countries, which expressed suspicions direct and indirect evidence of the involvement of the Russian special services, – said Fesenko, Until the effective interference of hacker attacks in the electoral process directly, however. Formally this is possible in the case of electronic voting. In other cases, we are talking more about complex political attacks, where hacker attacks are only part of the technology, they play a supporting role.”
Moreover, the effect on political processes may be performed not only using information technology but in other ways, said Fesenko. For example, according to the expert, the referendum in the Netherlands was the result of a special operation of Russian security services, which was attended by a number of public organizations, information resources are actively used Internet.
“Russia is actively experimenting in this area… It is rather at the level of experiments, but as the U.S. elections, the referendum in the Netherlands, there is a suspicion that in the Brexit they intervened, there is already quite serious,” he said.
However, developing in this area not only Russia. The way cites the example Fesenko, a few years ago was carried out cyber attacks on information systems of Iran’s nuclear program. Who is behind them is not known, but suspected hacker group associated with the United States and Israel. According to the expert, to use the information space can countries with well-developed resources with Finance and technology, e.g. USA, Israel, China.
“All the big States have their conditional kibervoyska, says consultant and trainer at digital security Nicholas Costigan, – global network, global threats. Everywhere there are areas of interest and everywhere you can come and, relatively speaking, to fight in cyberspace”.
Today in the United States, Germany, Britain, the NATO countries at different levels of coordinated action and the creation of special units to counter cyber threats, the political scientist Fesenko. However, under the threat of external influence might be any country where elections are held. In addition, a hacker attack can be carried out on energy systems and government agencies to create chaos.
Hack attack: how it works
Today different kinds of hacker attacks, says computer security expert Nicholas Kvantaliani. Moreover, such an attack is a services market. Each of them must bring some benefit to the customer. For example, there are hackers, whose task is to detect the vulnerabilities of the system to eliminate them. At the same time there are those who sell information about vulnerabilities of different systems on the black market, she then could be used for attacks, says an expert.
The cost of an attack on the average user – from 200 to 1000 dollars, but it varies depending on the value of information, which is trying to hacker. But, theoretically, you can hack any user – from an ordinary citizen of the country to a certain policy, he says.
Hacker attack directed either to profit, or someone pays for the attack. Must be some interest, says Kvantaliani.
According to the expert, the main problem is that the vulnerability of the systems connected to the Internet, are detected continuously. Cooperation in this area is built on the fact that someone is attacking and someone defending. And, if the attacker has more capabilities or have an interest, you can actually break any protection, he says.
“In any case, at this point it becomes a tool of influence on public opinion and, therefore, you just need to understand who is the customer,” – said Kvantaliani.
The use of the information that someone has stolen in the hacker attack is a kind of game to the public. This information does not have to be compromising. It is enough that there is the fact of the breach, and the information itself can be used out of context and thus proving some sort of position and manipulating people.
However, as noted by Nicholas Costigan, not knowing the target customer is difficult to determine how effective hacker attack to achieve it. But in favor of their effectiveness, says economic argument for it’s vast resources are spent by those who have them and have some goals.
“If this tool did not allow them to achieve some of their goals, resources is not allocated”, – said Kostanyan.
At the same time with technology there are attacks and improve protection mechanisms. As noted by Nikolai Kvantaliani, this means that each country needs to invest in the development of cyber defence.
How to protect yourself from threats? To check whether you can attack. Accordingly, the main tests on the vulnerability of the system lies in the fact that they’re under attack. Finding the vulnerability, shut it down. It can be a server to some vulnerability can be a personal computers, mobile phones. There is still a very large market of spyware software
“The tools become more accessible, cheaper by developing technologies, speeds and communities. And then there is the technical issue – how to protect it, says Kvantaliani, – How to protect yourself from threats? To check whether you can attack. Accordingly, the main tests on the vulnerability of the system lies in the fact that they’re under attack. Finding the vulnerability, shut it down. It can be a server to some vulnerability can be a personal computers, mobile phones. There is still a very large market of spyware software.”
We will remind that approximately two weeks before the US presidential election in 2016, Wikileaks began to publish the correspondence of the head of the election headquarters of the candidate from Democratic party Hillary Clinton John Podestà. Responsibility for the attack on the servers of the National Committee of the Democratic party, which was stolen, including correspondence Podestà, U.S. intelligence agencies put on Russia, accusing it of meddling in the election. Russia, however, these accusations were denied. Currently in the U.S. there is an investigation of Russian interference in presidential elections in 2016.
Thus, in April 2017 Russia again accused of similar actions. This time on the eve of the second round of presidential elections in France has come under attack the servers of the headquarters of the Pro-European candidate, Emmanuel Macron.
Not remained aloof and Germany, investigating a series of computer attacks on German MPs and political parties in connection with the fear that Russian hackers will try to influence the outcome of elections that will be held in the fall of 2017. The German government Agency responsible for cybersecurity, said that the attacks came from Russia and can be connected with hacker attacks on the headquarters of ex-presidential candidate in Hillary Clinton. Moreover, in early may of 2017, the head of the German intelligence Hans-Georg Maassen warned the Kremlin from the political decision about possible intervention with the help of hacker attacks in the German elections.
The intervention of Russian hackers said the Ministry of defence of Denmark. According to them, Russian hackers broke into the email of some of the Ministry’s staff for two years (2015-2016) had access to their accounts. According to authorities, the e-mail was hacked the hackers who “have made cyber attacks on the Democratic party of the United States in 2016”. According to military intelligence, the information was not secret, but “can be used to recruit agents, blackmail or espionage.”
Touched on such actions of Russia and Ukraine. So, according to defense Minister Stepan Poltorak, Russia has organized and carried out more than seven thousand cyber attacks on Ukraine for three years.