CSSS-5220 Week 8 Assignment
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Week 8 Written Assignment: Cyber-attack on Estonia
Manoj Kumar Madala
Webster University
CSSS – 5220 Cybersecurity Threat Detection
Professor Jason Ham
March 10, 2024
Introduction:
In 2007, Estonia, a little Baltic republic, was subjected to a persistent and orchestrated cyber
assault, which is commonly ascribed to the Russian government. The prolonged assault was
aimed at government websites, banks, media outlets, and essential infrastructure. This incident is
a significant milestone in the history of cyberwarfare, demonstrating the capacity of digital
disturbances to severely impact a nation's critical services. This article aims to examine the
specifics of the assault, investigate possible preventive measures, and examine the significant
insights gained from this occurrence.
The Cyber-attack:
As demonstrations broke out on the streets, cyber assailants mirrored the actions. This is a
summary of what happened:
Riots and Theft:
There were two nights of riots and theft in Tallinn. One person died, 156 were
hurt, and 1,000 were taken into custody. Massive hacks:
Estonia was hit by a string of hacks that attacked a few organizations, including
Estonian banks, ministries, newspapers, media, and the government all have websites. How it works:
Denial-of-service (DoS) strikes were one type of attack. In these, websites were
flooded with junk and automatic online requests. Effects:
There were problems with online services, like cash machines not working and
government workers not being able to email each other. It was hard for newspapers and radio
stations to get the word out.
The cyber-attack started in late April 2007, prompted by the Estonian government's
decision to move a war monument from downtown Tallinn that dated back to the Soviet period.
The act of asserting national identification provoked discontent among some individuals in
Russia, resulting in a sequence of denial-of-service (DoS) assaults with the intention of
inundating Estonian websites with a deluge of fraudulent traffic. The assaults mostly used
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) techniques, in which hacked machines throughout the
globe were illicitly commandeered to inundate Estonian servers with requests, making them
unreachable to authorized users. The assaults were diverse, including not just government
websites but also banks, media outlets, and even key infrastructure such as power grids.
Although there were no notable damages to the physical infrastructure, the assaults resulted in
extensive disruption and economic losses. Business operations were impeded, vital services were
obstructed, and the confidence of the people was undermined.
Preventive Measures:
Several proactive actions may have lessened the effect of the cyber-attacks on Estonia:
1.
Enhanced Cybersecurity Infrastructure:
For example, Estonia could have spent money on strong cybersecurity infrastructure like
firewalls, attack detection systems, and network separation to find and stop bad actions.
2.
Incident Response Planning:
By establishing thorough incident response plans and performing routine exercises to simulate
cyber-attack scenarios, Estonia could have been better equipped to mitigate the consequences of
attacks promptly and efficiently.
3.
Public Awareness and Education:
Disseminating knowledge on cybersecurity best practices, including effective password
management, email hygiene, and software patching, might have reduced the effectiveness of
social engineering and phishing attempts.
4.
International Collaboration:
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It might have been easier to share information, assign blame, and coordinate response actions
during the cyberattacks if relationships with foreign organizations, law enforcement, and
cybersecurity professionals had been stronger.
5.
Government Contingency Plans:
Creating resilient contingency plans for vital infrastructure, which include alternative
communication routes and backup systems, guarantees a certain degree of operational capacity
even in the face of interruptions.
Lessons Learned:
Hybrid Warfare:
Early in the history of hybrid warfare, Estonia fell prey to cyber-attack that was
easily combined with social instability. This incident emphasized the need for all-encompassing
security methods that include both the digital and physical realms.
Resilience and Preparedness:
The country put money into computer security, set up a computer
Defense Unit, and improved its skills. Currently, Estonia is widely recognized as a leading
authority in the field of cyber security.
Vulnerability of the Digital World: The assault revealed the dependence on digital infrastructure
and its susceptibilities to cyber-attacks.
Attribution Challenges: The challenge of assigning responsibility for cyber-attacks highlights the
need of global collaboration and the exchange of information to ensure that those responsible are
held accountable and to discourage future assaults.
Proactive Defense Strategies: Implementing proactive defensive tactics, such as exchanging
threat data, actively searching for threats, and continuously monitoring, is essential for detecting
and mitigating cyber threats before they develop into large-scale assaults.
Conclusion:
The cyber-attacks on Estonia highlight the changing nature of threats in the digital realm and
emphasize the need of taking proactive steps to ensure cybersecurity. Through studying this
influential occurrence and adopting precautionary steps, countries and institutions may enhance
their cybersecurity and reduce the likelihood of future cyber assaults. Working together, being
creative, and being resilient will be essential to defending against new cyberthreats as cyberspace
develops.
References
https://openaccesspub.org/advanced-forensic-sciences/article/1686
Ottis, R. (2008). Analysis of the 2007 cyber attacks against Estonia from the information warfare perspective
. https://www.ccdcoe.org/uploads/2018/10/Ottis2008_AnalysisOf2007FromTheInformationWarfa
rePerspective.pdf
startcomcoe.org. (2007). IMAGE -SHUTTERSTOCK 2007 cyber attacks on Estonia
. https://stratcomcoe.org/cuploads/pfiles/cyber_attacks_estonia.pdf
Coe Paper, H. (2021). Hybrid CoE Cyber deterrence: A case study on Estonia’s policies and practice COI HYBRID INFLUENCE
. https://www.hybridcoe.fi/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20211012_Hybrid_CoE_Paper_8_Cyber_
deterrence_WEB.pdf
https://e-estonia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020mar-stories-a4-v02-cyber-defence-cln.pdf
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