Putin's Hackers May Target EU Nuke Power Plants: Cybersecurity Expert

For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the invasion of Ukraine is going far worse than expected, with Ukraine’s president claiming that more than 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict, Antony Ashkenaz reported for the UK’s Daily Express.

Photo Insert: A nuclear power plant in Belgium

As Russia deals with losses in the war and economic hits from Western sanctions, experts have warned that Putin is already trying to retaliate with a series of cyberattacks aimed at institutions across the EU and the UK.

Aside from usual targets, which include the National Health Service (NHS), banking services, and major companies, an expert has warned that Putin may target companies that deal with “risky materials,” potentially leading to dire consequences.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Reuven Aronashvili, CEO and co-founder of cybersecurity firm CYE, said Europe is currently under attack not only from cyber hackers that work directly under Putin but also “cyber security gangs that are standing with Russia.”

He added: “There are some multinational organizations that were targeted and attacked and we've seen the impact on the production capabilities of specific let's say 'risky materials' that could be wasted.”

However, he then clarified that in most cases, the worst impact that these companies see is a “denial of services or business continuity” or even having their private data leaked to the dark web.

Aronashvili said the reason why the worst impacts have not happened yet is that major companies have prepared for the onslaught. In the UK, British intelligence agency GCHQ has warned firms the time is right to “bolster their online defenses” as tension mounts over the invasion of Ukraine.

Aronashvili added: “I can tell you that the banking environment is targeted and has received a number of attack attempts of a more than 100 percent increase. Not all are successful, but the attacks have gone up significantly.”

He noted that hackers may hit European energy companies, which is particularly significant as the continent looks to increase its energy security and end its reliance on Russian gas.

He continued: “In energy environments, they are able to halt the production of energy and distribution. Whether its gas turbines, steam turbines, wind turbines, even nuclear facilities in some cases, they are able to shut operations down.”

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