Russians hack cameras in Ukraine coffee shops for intel, says US official

WASHINGTON – Russian hackers have logged in to private security cameras in Ukraine coffee shops to collect intelligence on aid convoys passing by, a top United States security official said on Tuesday.

Mr Rob Joyce, director of cyber security at the National Security Agency, said Russian government and government-backed hackers persist in attacking Ukrainian information technology systems as part of

their invasion of the country.

One focus is closed-circuit television cameras used by the local authorities and private businesses to monitor their surroundings, he said.

“There are continued attacks on Ukrainian interests, whether it’s financial, government, personal, individual, business, just trying to be disruptive,” Mr Joyce said at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“There are creative things going on. We are watching the Russian hackers log in to public-facing webcams to watch convoys and trains delivering aid,” he said.

“They are also hacking those webcams... And instead of using the town square (cameras) that are available to the Internet, they’re looking out the coffee shop security camera and seeing the road they need to see,” he said.

Russians are also focusing their hacking efforts on US defence manufacturers and logistical transport companies to find out more about the arms supply chain to Ukraine, he said.

“They are under daily pressure from the Russians,” he said. AFP