The director of cybersecurity at the US National Security Agency, Rob Joyce, warned yesterday, Tuesday, that Russian hackers are penetrating private surveillance cameras in Ukrainian cafes to collect intelligence about the transit of convoys of military supplies.
Joyce said that the Russian government and state-backed hackers continue to carry out attacks against Ukrainian IT systems as part of the war in Ukraine.
He pointed out that one of the areas they focus on is the surveillance cameras used by local authorities and private companies to monitor movements in the vicinity of public and private facilities.
Ukrainian soldiers in a Donetsk cafe (expressive)
“There are constant attacks on Ukrainian interests, whether financial, government, personal or corporate individuals, to try to cause disruption,” Joyce said, in a speech at the Center for International and Strategic Studies in Washington.
He continued, “Creative things are happening. We see Russian hackers intentionally accessing cameras to film public places broadcast over the Internet to monitor convoys and trains transporting aid.”
He added, “They hack into those cameras… Instead of using (cameras) in the city center that are available on the Internet, they monitor with surveillance cameras in cafes the roads they need to monitor.”
Joyce indicated that the Russians are also focusing on US defense industry companies and logistical transportation companies to learn more information about the arms supply chain to Ukraine. He said that these companies “are exposed daily to Russian pressure.”