New data has shown that 300,000 hackers have teamed up to target Russia.
The 'IT Army' has engaged in cyber warfare against the Russia following the recent invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Federov, had shared a link on Telegram in February, pleading for people to assist in the cyber front.
He said in a tweet:
"We are creating an IT army. We need digital talents. All operational tasks will be given here: https://t.me/itarmyofurraine. There will be tasks for everyone. We continue to fight on the cyber front. The first task is on the channel for cyber specialists."
We are creating an IT army. We need digital talents. All operational tasks will be given here: https://t.co/Ie4ESfxoSn. There will be tasks for everyone. We continue to fight on the cyber front. The first task is on the channel for cyber specialists.
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 26, 2022
Soon after, hackers from all over the world have volunteered to help cause 'cyber-chaos' as a sign of protest against the war in Ukraine.
NetBlocks reports that the hacker volunteers have successfully caused disruption in the web services in Russia.
The internet monitoring company specified that the Kremlin and the Duma websites have been disrupted while state-owned media services also being targeted.
Alp Tocker, director of NetBlocks, said:
"The crowdsourced attacks have been successful in disrupting Russian government and state-backed media websites."
Although Russia does not admit taking part in cyberattacks, Check Point Research (CPR) - a global cyberattack tracker, reported that online attacks targeting the Ukrainian government and military sectors has increased by 196% just in the first days following the invasion of the country.
A volunteer hacker, who wished to remain anonymous told The Guardian:
"I wanted to help and use my attacking skills to help Ukraine."
"I'm from Switzerland, but I'm a strong hacker and I'm so sorry for every Ukrainian. I do it because I stand with Ukraine and I want to help somehow. I think if we hack Russia's infrastructure they will stop, maybe, because nothing will work any more."
[Based on reporting by: LadBible]
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