Russian Cyber Army just announced a joint operation with NoName, during which they breached the Denmark Police. The hackers announced the event on their TOR website, mocking the targets in the process. The attack appears to be politically motivated.
NoName and the Russian Cyber Army are deeply invested in protecting the interests of the Russian state, but only one of them has actual ties to the Russian government. NoName is a rogue organization with no proven connections to Moscow.
But Russian Cyber Army (People’s Cyber Army of Russia) represents the interests of the Russian state directly. The organization has been active for decades, ever since the notion of “cyberwarfare” became legitimate. The organization has a variety of MOs.
The most used one is the DDoS attack. This is a rather standard intrusion, relying on the attacker sending hundreds of millions of access requests to the target website. Because of the overwhelming number of requests, the website eventually shuts off.
These types of attacks aren’t particularly devastating, but they can be, depending on the circumstance. NoName uses similar tactics, given that they are reliable, cost-effective, and damaging enough. The goal isn’t necessarily to inflict damage but to send a message.
In some cases, the attacks can lead to lingering effects, especially in situations where public services are involved. These involve emergency services, the health sector, the public transportation system, and many others.
Russia has been waging episodes of cyberwarfare for decades; it’s nothing new. This is even more true in today’s climate, where the Russian government uses all of the tools at its disposal to gain the upper hand in the ongoing conflict.
Russia’s Cyber Army represents Moscow’s interests and operates with impunity across the globe. The main target is Ukraine, as well as its allies. The same goes for NoName, which has been extremely active since February 2022.
It’s common for pro-Russian cybercriminal gangs to conduct joint operations for more extensive results. But they also perform solo operations, sometimes relying on affiliates to cover their tracks and expand their reach.
NoName appears to be a lot more active than Russian Cyber Army, at least in the news. The infamous pro-Russian cybercriminal gang produces victims daily, give or take. An anonymous insider revealed a while ago that NoName is run almost militarily.
The hackers have goals to meet and work around the clock to expose potential targets. They are required to identify and attack between 5 and 15 targets per day, the more the better.
So far, NoName hasn’t been linked to the Russian government directly.
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