The already high level of cyberattacks has increased with Russia's attack on Ukraine, according to IT security experts. "We have not only seen a greater spread of attacks during the pandemic - the risks associated with attacks have increased with the war in Ukraine, as cyberattacks are a tool of warfare," IT security expert André Kudelski told the dpa-AFX news agency. Kudelski is the head of the Swiss encryption and IT security company Kudelski Group.

The landscape of IT systems and machine parks is currently more vulnerable than before, said Kudelski. "As a consequence of the emergency situation due to Covid-related lockdowns, many organizations have made it possible to perform all functions remotely, including the most critical ones," said the expert. "This has significantly increased the attack surface for cybercriminals." Before the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, controlling systems was in most cases only possible for experts physically present on site. The use of artificial intelligence also enables attackers to carry out more complex attacks and tends to make smaller attacks more profitable, said Kudelski.

Insurers fear an increase in cyberattacks

German insurers also fear an increase in cyberattacks on the German economy as a result of the war in Ukraine. "The longer the war in Ukraine lasts, the more likely cyberattacks on German companies from Russia will become," said Jörg Asmussen, Managing Director of the German Insurance Association, in a statement on Tuesday (June 7). Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland had previously reported.

So far, insurers have not been able to identify any increase in losses since the start of the war, but they are assuming a significantly higher risk, it said. "There could not only be targeted attacks on individual companies, but also broader attacks - for example with malware that is sent en masse by email," said Asmussen.

Companies have a duty

He called on SMEs in particular to further improve their IT security. "SMEs have by no means exhausted the potential for prevention. In view of the new dangers, IT security should now be a top priority in every company, as a cyberattack can destroy a company's economic existence in a very short space of time."

Kudelski sees a successful business model for private hacker groups primarily in being tolerated by states and, in return, carrying out state-approved attacks. "If a rogue state is interested in stealing secrets, hackers can be an effective tool for discreetly obtaining these secrets without directly involving the government," the expert explained. This often looks like a purely commercially motivated attack, for example in the case of so-called ransomware, where attackers encrypt important data and only release it again in return for payment.

Cyber attacks as a business model

According to Kudelski, hacker groups often organize themselves in a kind of "franchise" model. "People finance cyberattacks with their own money, both to make money and to achieve a goal that is desired by a rogue state or a company - in return for the authorities turning a blind eye." Because cyberattacks can be very profitable, criminals are also very creative in inventing new business models.