Updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the cyber phases of a hybrid war. Hacktivists and privateers. New Chinese malware described. Registration-bombing.

Stalled columns, rocket fire, and negotiation over Ukraine. Two new pieces of malware found in use against Ukrainian targets. Ben Yelin joins us with analysis. Dealing with WhisperGate and HermeticWiper. The muted cyber phases of a hybrid war. Leaked files reveal Conti as a privateer. Sanctions move from deterrence to economic "war of attrition." Daxin: a backdoor that hides in normal network traffic. Registration-bombing lets fraud hide in the weeds. Our guest is Tresa Stephens from Allianz on the elevated concern for cyber risk among business leaders. And Razzlekhan talking a deal?

Resources

Ukraine Fighting Overshadows Chance of Russia Talks’ Success (Bloomberg) Both sides agree to second set of talks even as fighting rages. Russia suffers market seizure as ruble plunges on sanctions.

After a Fumbled Start, Russian Forces Hit Harder in Ukraine (New York Times) After days of miscalculation about Ukraine’s resolve to fight, Russian forces are turning toward an old pattern of opening fire on cities and mounting sieges.

The dire predictions about a Russian cyber onslaught haven’t come true in Ukraine. At least not yet. (Washington Post) For more than a decade, military commanders and outside experts have laid out blueprints for how cyberwar would unfold: military and civilian networks would be knocked offline, cutting-edge software would sabotage power plants, and whole populations would be unable to get money, gas or refrigerated food.

A Free-for-All But No Crippling Cyberattacks in Ukraine War (SecurityWeek) In the early days of the war in Ukraine, Russia's ability to create mayhem through malware hasn’t had much of a noticeable impact

CISA, FBI Issue Warnings on WhisperGate, HermeticWiper Attacks (SecurityWeek) The two U.S. agencies warn that both malware families were used in destructive cyberattacks targeting organizations in Ukraine.

Anonymous Hacker Group Targets Russian State Media (SecurityWeek) Hacker group Anonymous claimed responsibility on for disrupting the work of websites of pro-Kremlin Russian media in protest of the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Volunteer ‘IT Army’ Is Hacking in Uncharted Territory (Wired) The country has enlisted thousands of cybersecurity professionals in the war effort against Russia.

After Conti backs war, ransomware gangs realize peril of patriotism amid infighting (SC Magazine) Ransomware is actually a complex global economy. Different groups design ransomware and license that ransomware for use in attacks, with the latter often using many different vendors of the former. So while the designers of Conti may be Russian, the affiliate groups using Conti may include Ukrainians. And like in any business, there is peril in angering the consumer.

A ransomware group paid the price for backing Russia (The Verge) Is proximity to the Putin regime becoming a liability?

U.N. General Assembly set to isolate Russia over Ukraine invasion (Reuters) The 193-member United Nations General Assembly began meeting on the crisis in Ukraine on Monday ahead of a vote this week to isolate Russia by deploring its "aggression against Ukraine" and demanding Russian troops stop fighting and withdraw.

Russia defends invasion during emergency UN General Assembly (Deutsche Welle) A clear majority of UN member states are expected to vote to condemn Russia's actions as Moscow becomes increasingly isolated internationally.

The New Russian Sanctions Playbook (Foreign Affairs) Deterrence is out, and economic attrition is in.

Russia seeks to halt investor stampede as sanctions hammer economy (Reuters) Russia said it was placing temporary curbs on foreigners seeking to exit Russian assets on Tuesday, putting the brakes on an accelerating investor exodus driven by crippling Western sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.

For links to all of today's stories check out CyberWire daily news briefing for March 1, 2022.

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