Ukraine’s government has issued an unusual call, situating us all firmly in the future. The government, while coping with Russian forces actually present in the country, is also contending with cyberattacks. They’ve asked, via various hacker forums in the country, the country’s hackers to rally in defence of Ukraine.

“Ukrainian cybercommunity! It’s time to get involved in the cyber defense of our country,” reads a post from one of the country’s forums. Reuters reports that the country’s government is taking applications from hackers via Google Docs. Potential volunteers are being asked what their specialities are, as well as for references. Because that’s a good thing to consider when recruiting a digital vigilante army.

Ukraine hopes to hack (bits of) the planet

⚡️Ukrainian government is seeking hackers to counter cyber warfare. The country is looking for recruits from its “hacker underground” to protect key digital infrastructure and conduct cyber spying on Russia.

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) February 25, 2022

Yegor Aushev, one of the founders of Kyiv-based security company Cyber Unit Technologies, said that he created the posts at the behest of the country’s Defence Ministry. A senior Ministry official asked the specialist to initiate contact with the country’s hackers.

Volunteers will apparently be organised into offensive and defensive units. The defensive team makes sense — the country has been under (digital) attack for weeks now. They will be deployed to keep an eye on essential infrastructures, like water processing and power plants. Virtually, of course. The offensive team will assist the Ukrainian military in conducting “…digital espionage operations against invading Russian forces”, reports Reuters.

The country’s Defence Ministry representatives, when queried, declined to comment. This is what you tend to do while establishing a group of misfits into an ad-hoc cybersecurity team.

Source: Reuters