Ukrainian military vehicles are moving past Independence Square in the center of Kiev on February 24.
Daniel Lil / Getty Images
Russian group of extortionists Conti warned that it will unleash its “full potential for retaliation” if the U.S. and its Western allies use cyberwarfare as a measure against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The threat is valid if “an attempt to inflict critical infrastructure” is taking place in Russia or in any Russian-speaking region of the world, Conti said in a blog post, Reuters reported earlier on Friday.
Conti added that he is not an ally of the Russian government and condemns the ongoing war, but that “will use our resources to respond if the well-being and security of civilians are at stake because of American cyber aggression.”
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The statement comes after a request from the Ukrainian government on Thursday volunteers from the hacker community to help protect its critical infrastructure and spy on Russian troops, according to Reuters. This came after many Ukrainian government websites and banks closed suffered from a cyber attack on Wednesday.
On February 18, U.S. officials attributed the cyber attacks against Banks and the military of Ukraine earlier this month to Russia. These attacks were the last in Fr. a series of digital invasions that blame Russia.
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had sent out a recommendation in September 2021 about Conti ransomware. CISA and the FBI said they had seen more than 400 attacks on U.S. organizations and international companies using Conti ransomware programs.
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