In the news of the Swedish channel "SVT" the researchers of the Institute of Informatics of the VU MIF, assistant professors Linas Bukaukas and Eduardas Kutka, talked about the challenges of cybersecurity and the battles between the "trolls" and the "elves" in cyberspace.
Lithuania shares borders with countries that pose political challenges. Sweden's SVT was interested in the cyber threats inside the country. At the end of last year, journalist Christoffer Wendick visited the VU MIF Institute of Informatics and the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy to find out what measures are being taken in the country to contain cyber threats.
Dr Linas Bukauskas, Head of the Cyber Security Laboratory, stresses that in the cyber world, there are no borders, so we must always remain vigilant. The internet has evolved from the principle of autonomous systems interacting in a trust-based manner. In the SVT news report, Dr Bukauskas explains that as the internet has become global and digital services have evolved, accessible from any corner of the world, this has created the conditions for a crime: "The absence of a physical distance or “border” and the almost instantaneous access to resources in the digital space requires the provider of internet services to think about not only the functionality of the service, the look and feel and the quality of the service, but also about how it can be manipulated for abuse or crime."
E. Kutka adds that everyone who uses the internet must also be careful and observe at least a minimum level of cyber hygiene: "At home, we don't stick our fingers in the socket."
According to the Head of the Cyber Security Laboratory, IT professionals who develop systems need to know and be able to do more than prepare subsystems for interoperability. It is essential to ensure their security by implementing and developing additional security systems and algorithms to protect resources. Researchers from the Cyber Security Lab work with Information Technology and Computer Modelling students to analyze regulations, assess vulnerabilities, and develop future technological solutions. These solutions can protect both systems and people. The lab also develops educational tools for security risk assessment, competency development, and training.
Wendick was interested in how a supercomputer could be used for cyber security, and the report also highlighted fights between cyber "trolls" and "elves".
E. Kutka, ITAPC computer network administrator at VU MIF, explained to SVT News that supercomputers provide computing power. Results can be obtained much more quickly when analyzing data from cyber intrusions. It helps to train artificial intelligence systems to monitor the data flow and, if dangerous patterns are detected, to inform those responsibly or block them immediately. However, in most cases, MIF researchers are already working with historical data to analyze what happened and how it happened and to make recommendations on how to protect against similar attacks.
The “elves" - a group of cyber-activists fighting pro-Kremlin propaganda and disinformation campaigns - is a growing but little-known phenomenon. Starting in 2014 with less than 20 people in Lithuania, the movement has expanded to 13 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and by 2021 had already attracted around 4000 volunteers.
According to Kutka, the "elves" operate anonymously and focus on combating hybrid threats, primarily carried out by the Kremlin and its proxies. The representative of the General J. Žemaitis Military Academy said that their work is voluntary, unpaid, and independent of states and governments. Their activities are strictly legal - they strongly condemn any criminal activity such as hacking or cyber espionage - and are mostly limited to monitoring Russian disinformation and its perpetrators such as trolls.
2023-01-06