Russian youth group claims responsibility for 2007 Estonian attacks

A group backed by the Kremlin have claimed responsibility for a series of cyber-attacks against Estonia two years ago.

In the midst of a diplomatic argument with Russia, the group directed attacks against virtually the entire informational infra-structure of Estonia despite Russia consistently denying any involvement.

However, Konstantin Goloskokov, who is a ‘commissar' in the privately financed youth movement Nashe, told the Financial Times that he and some associates had launched the attack.

Goloskokov said: “I wouldn't have called it a cyber attack; it was cyber defence. We taught the Estonian regime the lesson that if they act illegally, we will respond in an adequate way. We did not do anything illegal. We just visited the various internet sites, over and over, and they stopped working. We didn't block them: they were blocked by themselves because of their own technical limitations in handling the traffic they encountered.”

Rick Howard, director of intelligence at iDefense, said: “It is interesting that this Kremlin-backed amateur Cyber Security cartel is claiming responsibility now for the May 2007 DDoS attacks on Estonia. If anything, it characterises the Russian political climate, where these kinds of groups are considered a state asset; one to be cultivated and wielded in the pursuit of national interests.

“The success of these attacks illustrated that it is possible to launch cyber attacks as an instrument of war to serve a political purpose. Russian hackers, individually and in groups, are effective at attacking an opposing government's infrastructure in campaigns of annoyance and frustration.

“One thing is certain – any government picking a political fight with Russia today can now expect to deal with multiple forms of electronic attack; not from the official Russian government per se but from the Russian government's unofficial civilian hacker assets.”



See original article on scmagazineus.com