Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers by Wired’s Andy Greenberg is most certainly a facinating story regarding Russia’s cyber attacks upon Ukraine. In fact, the backstory to Sandworm is quite remarkable. Attacks by Russia against Ukraine are just the latest in a long history of Russian aggression.
Greenberg’s work is certainly remarkable. This provides deep storylines linking Russia to NotPetya, a ransomware attack launched against Ukraine in 2016. Elements of this attack were initially launched as reconnaissance in the prior year.
At the same time, Greenberg provides amazing details regarding cyber attacks Moonlight Maze, Operation Aurora on America by Russia and China.
Indeed Sandworm provides a historical view between Russia and Ukraine upon the heels of World War II.
Harvest of Sorrow
In this period, Stalin produced a truely horrific famine across Ukraine. Unquestionably, the exploitation of Ukraine by the Soviet Union and Hitler’s Germany resulted in the torture and death of millions of Ukrainians. Greenberg notes the unbelievable but true horror by author Anne Applebaum in Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine:
“stories of desperate peasants resorting to eating leather and rodents, grass, and, in states of starvation-induced mania, even their own children. All of this occurred in one of the most fertile grain-production regions in the world.”
Red Famine by Anne Applebaum
In addition, these horrific attacks are echoed in Harvest of Sorrow by Soviet scholar Robert Conquest. Red Famine’s lessons provide a razor sharp backdrop to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine following the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. This is only the latest attack in a long confrontation between Russia and Ukraine.
Sandworm
On the other hand, Sandworm seems perfectly in sync with Countdown to Zero Day by Kim Zetter regarding Stuxnet. The role of Russia’s Fancy Bear attack team was most poignant in Greenberg’s chapter on Maersk, the Danish shipping conglomerate.
On display for all the world to see, Fancy Bear certainly revealed several inefficiencies in protecting the infrastructure of a global shipping giant. Instead, this had an unplanned domino effect impacting the entire world, even Russian companies. Consequently, America was not paying attention.
So what is the most appalling segment of Sandworm? Can this simply be limited to one chatpter? Probably not. Chapter 31: ‘Defectors’ reveals Russian defectors from Pyotr Popov in 1953, Oleg Penkovsky in 1961, Vladimir Rezun in 1978, and certainly the most notably Sergei Skirpal chemical attack on him and his daughter remind us about the true horrors of the Soviet Union. In addition, the emergence of social media outcries hi-lighting the ferociousness of the attack proves yet again Russian spying is not for the weak of heart.
The global 2017 ransomware attacks WannaCry NotPetya, and Bad Rabbit received little attention inside Russia.
Olympic Destroyer
In chapter 34: Bad Rabbit, Olympic Destroyer, Greenberg is revealing Russia’s cyber attack upon the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Russian payback for the Olympic Committee’s decision to ban Russia due to doping.
However quick thinking by the South Korean Olympic technical services team saved the day. Wifi services, mobile apps and RFID readers were impacted during the opening ceremony. The global impact was very low and barely noticeable in the media. The failure of Russia’s Olympic ring ceremony debacle four years prior was not a simple technical glitch after all? Revenge is a plate best served cold.
In conclusion, Andy’s five parts of Sandworm: Emergence, Origins, Evolution, Apotheosis, and Identity reveal extremely well planned cyber attacks. Study their playbook. They will be arriving soon.
NBC News | Russia Perfected Its Cyberwarfare In Ukraine
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New America | Sandworm A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers
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S4 Events | Interview with Andy Greenberg, Author of Sandworm