Russian Hackers and the War in Ukraine : Digital Threats and Real-World Consequences

Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine (February 2022), hackers have become more active on a global scale. The clashes between Russian and Ukrainian “cyber armies” are at its central front line. Russian Hackers and the War in Ukraine: Digital Threats and Real-World Consequences scrutinizes the unique situation where cyber criminals, who usually operate clandestinely, have surfaced and looked for public attention and approval. This book does not cover technical aspects of hacking. Instead, it scrutinizes the public activity of Russian hacker groups including building their brand, communicating with supporters, their financial situation, and other crucial aspects. This research draws mainly on open sources such as social media entries comprised of texts, videos, images, and chat comments which were collected through daily monitoring of the hacking groups’ activities. This book depicts hackers' activities and their personalities from a different angle by exploring their social media network, their audience, the creation of public opinion, the hackers' personal characteristics, and the shift in hackers' activities under the influence of the political situation.