Ukrainian news websites were hacked to display the ‘Z’ symbol used by Russian troops in Ukraine. The incident was verified by the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection of Ukraine, the country’s technical security and intelligence service. Furthermore, the agency attributed the cyberattacks to Russian state-sponsored actors. The agency explained that no personal information on the hacked websites was accessed.
Ukraine conflict
Russian ministry filtering foreign web traffic
Russia’s Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media has begun to implement technical measures to filter foreign web traffic, a source in the ministry’s press service told TASS.
‘We are recording unprecedented attacks on the websites of government authorities,’ the Ministry said, further claiming that the incidents were ‘two to three times more powerful than the most serious incidents of this type previously recorded’.
Italy set to curb use of Russian anti-virus software in public sector
The Italian government intends to restrict the use of the Kaspersky anti-virus software in the public sector, fearing that Russia may exploit the software to compromise its (Italy’s) vital websites, according to a draft decree seen by Reuters.
On Tuesday, Franco Gabrielli, Secretary of State for Security, told the Senate that the government was working on rules that would allow state institutions to stop using software made by Kaspersky Lab. The new rules would allow government agencies to replace any software deemed harmful.
In response to the latest developments, Kaspersky’s Italian branch stated that it was following the situation with great concern and was worried for its staff, stressing that they might suffer as a result of decisions based on geopolitical rather than technical issues.
Ukraine’s participation in NATO’s cyber centre is attempt at blackmail — Russian ambassador
Russian Ambassador to Estonia Vladimir Lipayev condemned Ukraine’s admission to NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE), noting that it is merely the first step toward Ukraine’s full membership in the NATO alliance. ‘This first step will certainly entail others pursuing the aim of converting Ukraine into a stronghold for political, economic, ideological and military blackmail of Russia,’ Lipayev stated.
However, he also said that Ukraine’s participation in NATO’s cyber hub itself should not lead to significant threats to Russia’s security.
US Democrats introduce bill to curb Russian crypto use
Democratic US senators proposed a bill that would allow the president to sanction foreign cryptocurrency firms that do business with Russian entities and prevent them from conducting transactions with US clients. The law on compliance with sanctions for digital property is led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and co-sponsored by ten other Democrats. The bill should increase pressure on cryptocurrency exchanges to prevent digital currency from being used to avoid Russian sanctions. It would also allow the treasury secretary to block digital asset platforms operating in the USA from transacting with any Russian crypto users.
PayPal expands payments services to help Ukrainian citizens, refugees
PayPal has announced that it will expand its services to allow customers to send money to Ukrainian customers.
Thus far, Ukrainians have only been able to send money out of the country. The most recent expansion would allow Ukrainian PayPal account holders to send and receive funds from anywhere in the world. Customers will be able to send and receive payments in Canadian dollars, British pounds, and euros beginning on Thursday, added PayPal.
The announcement comes in response to a request from the Ukrainian government for PayPal to offer new services that would allow Ukrainian citizens to accept payments.
PayPal has also stated that it will waive fees for consumers transferring money to Ukrainian PayPal accounts or receiving money into Ukrainian PayPal accounts until June 30. Xoom, the company’s international remittance service, will waive transaction costs for funds transferred to recipients in Ukraine.
Anonymous hacks Russian pipeline company Transneft
The Anonymous collective has reportedly hacked the in-house R&D unit of Transneft, Russia’s state-controlled oil pipeline company, dubbed Omega Company. The group claims to have stolen 79 GB of emails and posted them on the site of the nonprofit whistleblower organisation Distributed Denial of Secrets.
The leaked emails appear to include the contents of many email accounts belonging to corporate personnel, including file attachments with invoices and product shipment data, as well as picture files depicting server racks and other equipment configurations.
Russia tells Google to stop spreading threats against Russians on YouTube
Russian telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor has requested that Google cease spreading threats against Russian citizens on YouTube. According to the regulatory agency, the activities of YouTube’s management are terroristic and endanger the lives and health of Russian citizens. Roskomnadzor noted that advertisements on YouTube call for the shutdown of communications systems of Russian and Belarus’ railway networks and requested that Google stop publishing anti-Russia videos as soon as possible.
Roskomnadzor blocks more than 30 websites over fake news
Russian telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor blocked access to more than 30 websites and other media outlets at the request of the Russian prosecutor general’s office. The block includes websites of Belarusian Euroradio, the Estonian newspaper Postimees, Novye Izvestia, Russian-language Channel 9, Vesti Izrailya, and other media outlets. The prosecutor general’s office requested that they be blocked, claiming that they were distributing false information about the Ukrainian conflict.
Russian tech entrepreneurs developing ‘Rossgram’
Russian tech entrepreneurs are developing a Russian equivalent of the social media platform Instagram entitled ‘Rossgram’. Rossgram will retain all the functions familiar to Instagram users, as well as additional monetisation tools. The launch date has been set for 28 March, when well-known bloggers, investors, and sponsors will be able to access the app, while general users will be able to access it in April 2022.