Russian hacktivist group Killnet's attack against Ukraine's drone-tracking system earlier this month, which comes more than a year after a hiatus prompted by the exposure of its founder KillMilk, was regarded by cybersecurity experts as the group's bid to restore relevance before resuming full-blown operations under a new name, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
Despite initially launching unsophisticated distributed denial-of-service attacks, Killnet has since adopted profit-driven cybercriminal tactics under the anti-drug trafficking collective Deanon Club, which is led by BTC, according to TRM Labs researchers. "While the group continues to reference hacktivism in its branding, its operational model increasingly mirrors that of a for-hire cybercrime service, seeking reputation and revenue rather than ideological impact," said TRM Labs. Such a move was also noted by Forescout Vice President of Security Intelligence Rik Ferguson to be typical of hacktivist and cybercriminal groups' rebranding efforts. "They could have easily formed a new group with a new identity. Still, they will now capitalize on the Killnet brand for attention for a while until it again becomes more convenient to use another identity," Ferguson added.
Despite initially launching unsophisticated distributed denial-of-service attacks, Killnet has since adopted profit-driven cybercriminal tactics under the anti-drug trafficking collective Deanon Club, which is led by BTC, according to TRM Labs researchers. "While the group continues to reference hacktivism in its branding, its operational model increasingly mirrors that of a for-hire cybercrime service, seeking reputation and revenue rather than ideological impact," said TRM Labs. Such a move was also noted by Forescout Vice President of Security Intelligence Rik Ferguson to be typical of hacktivist and cybercriminal groups' rebranding efforts. "They could have easily formed a new group with a new identity. Still, they will now capitalize on the Killnet brand for attention for a while until it again becomes more convenient to use another identity," Ferguson added.
