US, Spain join forces in cyberwarfare amid Russia-Ukraine war

The U.S. is partnering up with fellow NATO member Spain to fight cyberattacks in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Monday that this is a critical moment for the U.S. and its allies to strengthen its cyber defenses and assist countries like Ukraine that have fallen victims to Russian aggression including cyberattacks.

“For anyone who may have been skeptical that cyber and tech issues are not major foreign policy issues for the 21st century, we need only to look at Ukraine and Russia right now,” she said. Sherman made her remarks at the first Spain-U.S. cybersecurity seminar, which was held in Madrid.

As part of its war strategy, Russia has launched several cyberattacks against the Ukrainian government, including targeting websites of the Parliament, the foreign affairs and defense ministries. Although Russia has denied any involvement, the Biden administration and U.S. intelligence suspect that Russian government hackers were behind those attacks. 

Sherman said that since 2014, Russia-based cyber hackers have repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, including its electrical grid and financial system. For that reason, the U.S. has invested $40 million since 2017 in helping Ukraine grow its information technology sector.

“Our NATO Allies and European partners have also made significant contributions to help improve Ukraine’s cybersecurity,” Sherman said, adding that the investments have helped Ukraine “keep their internet on and information flowing, even in the midst of a brutal Russian invasion.”

Sherman also emphasized that the U.S. and its allies need to invest in building technological capacities that can withstand cyberattacks that are undermining national security and critical infrastructure.

“The internet and cyber technologies can be incredibly powerful enablers of truth, freedom, trust, and human connection,” Sherman said. “It’s up to us to build the future of cyberspace and technology that we want to see.”

So far, Russia has yet to launch a cyberattack against the West but is suspected to be weighing the risks of doing so, following harsh economic sanctions that caused the value of the ruble to plummet last week.