Hackfest - Level UP

This talk will explore Russia's GRU Information Operations Command through regionalization, looking at how monolithic groups such as Fancy Bear and Sandworm can be broken into subclusters. Leveraging open source information, we map out the GRU's cyber-enabled military units, attributed threat groups and capabilities to connect them to specific regions within Russia's Military Districts. The talk will draw on technical information, but humans, structure and geography have equal weight, as we explore the intersection of all these topics within the GRU.

The intent is to offer the audience the opportunity to reimagine how they consider the GRU's cyber-enabled capabilities and what that means for both attribution and their organizations. Understanding the ways organizational structure guides activity enables us as defenders to better mitigate the threat attackers pose. Attendees will leave with the knowledge that breaks through the hyperbole and approach Russian intrusions with new eyes.

Exploring the hacktivist landscapes of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, this talk will look at how the war in Ukraine has shaped the three diverging paths for each country's hacktivist landscape. It will explore novel approaches adopted by hacktivist personas across the three countries, and the differing circumstances for each country that have influenced these choices. The result is a novel framework through which to explore the broader global hacktivist landscape and how real world changes can significantly influence hacktivist activity.

The audience will leave this talk with a deeper understanding of hacktivism within Russia/Ukraine/Belarus, and a framework through which to consider hacktivism in a global context. For attendees, they can then apply this to their individual company threat landscapes and explore how the hacktivist landscape can change to inform leadership as the global environment changes.