The Norwegian IT student is a cyber warrior for Ukraine against Russia. Thomas is not his name, but we like to call him that. What he is doing is not entirely legal. Therefore, he will remain anonymous. – I am a cyber warrior because I disagree with Russia’s actions. And then I want to be able to help Ukraine by using my knowledge for something useful, says Thomas. He is part of the “IT ARMY of Ukraine” and carries out coordinated computer attacks against Russian websites. So-called DDoS attacks, where traffic to websites is overloaded so that they stop working. – What’s happening is actually that I’m spamming traffic, says Thomas. While news Brennpunkt is present, Thomas causes several Russian websites to crash, including the site of a leading provider of online shopping and payment services: – Unique call-out The Ukrainian digitization minister called for people for an IT army just a few days after the Russian invasion last year . – What he actually asked for was for people to break the law in their own country. This is unique, says Mikko Hyppönen, expert in cyber security. Security expert Mikko Hyppönen from the company WithSecureEkspert. Photo: Snorre Wik / news Russia has carried out digital attacks against Ukraine since 2014. Among other things, by attacking a satellite system with viruses, or by mass-producing fake news in “troll factories”. The aim of many of these attacks is to divide the people and weaken trust in the authorities, so that people start to doubt what is actually true. – These are more psychological attacks than attacks against practical targets, says Hyppönen. – Online activity around this war is greater than ever. We have never seen anything like this in other conflicts, says Hyppönen. 24 say they have participated news conducted an anonymous survey among IT students at seven Norwegian universities. 24 out of 225 answered that they have actively participated in the digital Ukraine war, in everything from spreading information to data breaches and so-called DDoS attacks. In war, a distinction is made between soldiers and civilians. Civilians are illegal targets in war. But when they engage in digital warfare, they become legitimate targets. – It is something we do not want to happen. That is why we want cyber attacks under strict limits in Norway, says professor of cyber security, Mass Soldal Lund. Professor of cyber security and social security at Høgskolen i Innlandet, Mass Soldal Lund. Photo: Christer Aasheim / news Civilian cyber attacks can also get in the way of military cyber attacks or escalate a situation. – You think that the attack is just an expression of your opinion, but you can cause problems for the military. Something we have also seen in this war, says Mikko Hyppönen, expert in cyber security. Thomas says that he would like to go in with other attacks. But he doesn’t really want to be exposed. – My dream leans more towards cyber security. It is something that has been quite entertaining to keep up with. – I just have to refrain from saying it at a job interview. But I have never been asked if I have DDoSed the Russian Ministry of Defence, says Thomas. Four Norwegians use the internet to influence, disrupt or attack Russia. Does that help? And is it legal? Russia is also a major power in digital warfare. The cyber warriors’ efforts can have unforeseen consequences.
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Norwegian IT students participated in the cyber war – news Dokumentar
