The cyberattack University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) has been facing since Saturday comes from the pro-Russian hacker group Killnet. This is the opinion of the specialists of Z-CERT, the body that assists the healthcare sector in issues related to cybersecurity. “Sometimes it stops for a while, and then starts again,” says a spokesman.
With the attack, Killnet appears to be putting its money where its mouth is, the group having previously announced it would carry out strikes against countries aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia. Dutch institutions are therefore a target. According to Z-CERT, the Computer Emergency Response Team, UMCG may not be the only hospital to be the victim of the attack, but it is still unclear whether other hospitals were actually attacked.
Currently, only the UMCG website is down, the UMCG patient records site has not been affected, according to the hospital. Patients can then still view their medical history, operations, medications and appointments.
Waves
According to the UMCG, the attack comes in waves: ‘Sometimes it stops for a while,’ and then it starts again. It’s been quiet for a while at the moment, but we don’t know if it will really stop now,” a hospital spokesman said.
The UMCG has been hit by a DDoS attack, a Distributed Denial of Service. In a DDoS attack, a computer system is flooded with visitors, all of which are sent to the target at the same time. And that’s exactly what Killnet is good for and known for. Politico describes Killnet as “a group of Russian hacktivists targeting European governments, infrastructure and even the esteemed Eurovision Song Contest with cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns in an attempt to discourage support for Ukraine in the war”.
DDoS on enemies of the Kremlin
The group was particularly active in the summer of 2022 with a flurry of attacks against Western government networks and critical infrastructure, clamoring for victories on social media channels and Russian media. Killnet is radically different from Russia’s highly skilled hackers working for groups in its intelligence agencies, such as Fancy Bear and Sandworm, who have gained notoriety for hacking into the US Democratic National Committee and launching the devastating NotPetya ransomware, respectively.
Angry gang
Killnet, on the other hand, is more like “an angry, nationalistic online gang armed with low-level cyber-offensive tools and tactics,” according to Politico. Professional cybersecurity professionals therefore describe the group as a nuisance rather than a serious threat.
Killnet made a name for itself in 2022 with attacks in more than ten Western countries, including Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Italy, the United States and Estonia. One of the group’s most notable attacks was against the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2022. Russia was not allowed to participate in the competition, after which the hacker group attempted a DDoS attack. The Italian police foiled the attack.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
