Psychological pressure has become one of the cornerstones in the prosecution of Russian cybercriminals. According to Wired, the US security forces and special services are forced to resort to remote trolling due to the fact that otherwise they simply cannot influence hackers hidden in Russia, and the local police ignore the problem.
"The psychological operations that have begun involve attempts to undermine the limited trust of criminals in each other, as well as driving thin wedges into the fragile minds of hackers. In addition, it is practiced to send them personalized messages that prove that they are being watched, " the journalists noted.
According to experts interviewed by the publication, the FBI will not be able to get to the core of Russian cybercrime. However, psychological operations directly affect the ability of groups to scale and expand their areas of activity. The distrust that arises in the ranks of hackers can slow down their performance.
"LockBit prided itself on its brand and anonymity, putting it above all else," says Paul Foster, Director of threat Management at the UK's National Crime Agency. "But Operation Cronos destroyed this anonymity and completely undermined the brand, discouraging cybercriminals from working with LockBit."
Foster noted that when LockBit partners entered the dashboard, they received personalized messages that the US authorities already knew their IP addresses, nicknames and cryptocurrency wallet numbers, as well as viewed internal chats and dialogues with victims. According to researchers from Analyst1, a cybersecurity company, the goal of such tactical tricks was to hit the brand's reputation and damage the quality of interpersonal relationships between users.
• Source: https://www.wired.com/story/cop-cybercriminal-hacker-psyops/
"The psychological operations that have begun involve attempts to undermine the limited trust of criminals in each other, as well as driving thin wedges into the fragile minds of hackers. In addition, it is practiced to send them personalized messages that prove that they are being watched, " the journalists noted.
According to experts interviewed by the publication, the FBI will not be able to get to the core of Russian cybercrime. However, psychological operations directly affect the ability of groups to scale and expand their areas of activity. The distrust that arises in the ranks of hackers can slow down their performance.
"LockBit prided itself on its brand and anonymity, putting it above all else," says Paul Foster, Director of threat Management at the UK's National Crime Agency. "But Operation Cronos destroyed this anonymity and completely undermined the brand, discouraging cybercriminals from working with LockBit."
Foster noted that when LockBit partners entered the dashboard, they received personalized messages that the US authorities already knew their IP addresses, nicknames and cryptocurrency wallet numbers, as well as viewed internal chats and dialogues with victims. According to researchers from Analyst1, a cybersecurity company, the goal of such tactical tricks was to hit the brand's reputation and damage the quality of interpersonal relationships between users.
• Source: https://www.wired.com/story/cop-cybercriminal-hacker-psyops/
